


Divinity

by Frecktacular



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2019-09-23 04:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 93,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17073743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frecktacular/pseuds/Frecktacular
Summary: For most of her life Alyssa lived with her adopted brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, adopted by John when she was very young, she doesn't really know much of a life without them. Her life is turned around when Dean comes back from Hell and brings an angel into her life, one that doesn't plan on leaving it anytime soon.





	1. Chapter 1

She couldn’t believe her eyes, that couldn’t possibly be Dean! But he looked just like him, and sounded like him, and there was Bobby telling her he ran all the tests, so it really had to be him, didn’t it? 

Her adopted brother shifted around on his feet, waiting for her to say something, obviously he couldn’t be sure how she’d react to him, since Bobby apparently came at him with everything in the book to make sure he was... himself.

“Are- you’re really you?” Alyssa finally said, still not taking her eyes off him, scared that it wasn’t real. 

He nodded, holding his arms out wide and looking down his own body, “It looks like it, short stack,” He agreed, “I don’t know how but it’s really m-” And before he could even finish his sentence Alyssa had flung herself at him, wrapping him up in a loving embrace. 

“Thank god you’re back, Dean,” She breathed into the hug, releasing him after much too long. 

Dean straightened up after the hug, rubbing at his jaw, “Where’s Sammy?” He asked, looking around the otherwise empty house. 

Bobby and Alyssa both fell silent, “We haven’t seen him in months, about a week after you… after you were gone he disappeared, saying he was going to get you out somehow, we haven’t heard from him sense,” Alyssa explained, her chest aching at her other brother’s unexplained betrayal. 

“You guys should’ve been looking after him,” Dean said quickly. 

“We tried,” Bobby shot back, thankfully not letting Alyssa take the brunt of Dean’s confusion, “These last few months haven’t been easy, not for any of us,” He explained. 

“Shit, and you don’t think he tried to make a deal to get me back?” He demanded to know, running a hand through his hair. 

Alyssa shook her head, “He would never do something so stupid,” She muttered, but the longer she thought about it the less she believed herself. 

“Then how else could you explain this?” Dean asked, “Gotta take some dark mojo, and if he was dead set on getting me back, well that’s the only explanation,” He decided, grabbing Bobby’s phone. 

Alyssa was beside herself, she still was in shock, how could her brother be back? Would Sam sell his soul for his return? She didn’t know how one person could be so desperate… 

Dean made quick use of the phone, figuring out Sam’s location, and the three of them were quick to pile into Dean’s car, which he was more than elated to see, and heading straight back to Illinois, right where Dean was buried. 

()()()()()()

Finding Sam was quick work, and the reunion of the brothers was more than touching, and Alyssa definitely gave Sam more than an earful about disappearing on them, but it didn’t matter anymore because they were back together, for the first time in months. Bobby told them about a psychic about four miles away that might be able to tell them about Dean’s resurrection, and they immediately set off to find her, hoping that she’d be able to help in any way possible. 

Pamela was beautiful, she had long, perfectly curled dark hair, bright, shining eyes, and nicely tanned skin, and a good sense of humor to go along with it. She seemed to have a really good relationship with Bobby too, which made Alyssa like her all the more. The five of them were quickly seated around her table as she lit five candles. Alyssa sat in between her brothers, holding their hands as tightly as she could, she’d never witnessed something like this, but she had a bad feeling about it for some reason… 

“Are we ready?” Pamela asked. “I do need to touch something our mystery monster touched,” She said with a wink towards Dean. 

Her brother jumped and shot the psychic a look, “Woah, he didn’t touch me there,” He grinned, looking only slightly caught off guard. 

“My mistake,” She said with a grin as Dean started to roll up his sleeve for her to see. 

Pam laid her hand over Dean’s arm and closed her eyes, Alyssa followed suit, squeezing her brother’s hands tightly on either side of her. 

“Okay,” She heard Pam say, “I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle,” She began to chant several times, getting louder and louder with each repeat. 

Suddenly, the TV flickered on, and the radio started to crackle with static too, Alyssa’s eyes flickered open and she could’ve sworn she heard a voice whispering, but it was drowned out by Pam’s chanting. 

“Castiel?” The woman asked, “Sorry Castiel, I don’t scare easy,” She said, sounding more than determined. 

Alyssa squeezed her brother’s hands once more, getting nervous, the static was still going and getting louder, and Pam’s chants were getting more furious, “Guys,” She warned, trailing off as the table started to rattle and things started to move around the room. 

She could’ve sworn she heard a new voice, a warning voice, saying something like ‘No, turn back now,’ but she couldn’t be certain. 

“Maybe we should stop!” She heard Bobby say, but she was so intensely focused on Pam that she couldn’t be certain it was him talking. 

The rattling got even more intense and Alyssa definitely heard the word ‘stop’ ringing out loud and clear, and this time she was sure it wasn’t from any of the people with her around the table. 

“I command you, show me your face!” Pam demanded, “Show me your face!” She shouted once more before the candles around the table burst into larger flames, scraping at her rooftop and Pam started to scream. The men around her immediately broke their grip on each other’s hands to run to help the woman who had just fallen to the ground but Alyssa was still staring at the flames which had died down now, where she was positive she saw the silhouette of… something! 

As soon as Pam let out the first sob, Alyssa was broken out of her trance and she immediately grabbed the nearest phone to call an ambulance, there was nothing any of them could do to help her now. 

But the entire time she couldn’t help but to wonder what it was that she saw in the flames… 

()()()()()()

In the hotel room, Alyssa was the first to fall asleep, exhausted from the day’s events, since she hadn’t gotten any sleep since Dean had showed up at Bobby’s door yesterday evening. Thankfully, she got her own bed that night as they waited for Bobby to meet back with them, since they could only afford the one room. Sam took the couch, most motels they found didn’t have one long enough for him to fit on so when one did he was automatically volunteered to take it. 

She was almost upset when at three in the morning she was woken up by Dean pulling her to her feet and shoving a gun in her hands, “Something’s here,” He muttered, nodding towards the flickering TV and radio. 

Alyssa gratefully grabbed the offered gun and pointed it in the direction of the TV, hoping she wouldn’t have to shoot up a motel room tonight, but sometimes they had to do what they had to do. 

That’s when the rattling started again, just like in Pam’s Seance room. “Dean we should get out of here,” She warned, not wanting to get her eyes burnt out like Pam… 

He nodded in agreement, grabbing his jacket, and that’s when Alyssa heard a voice start to talk down to them. “Dean, you must listen to me,” A strange voice from all corners of the room spoke out, “Can you hear me?” It asked, sounding more curious than anything. 

Alyssa nodded and replied before she could realize what she was doing, “I can,” She whispered. 

That’s when she heard Dean’s shouting, her head immediately whipped around to face her brother where he was lying on the ground clutching his head, she couldn’t figure out why he was doing that though. And then she noticed the glass cracking around them, first the windows shattered, blowing into the room, somehow seeming to miss hitting Alyssa entirely. 

“Dean,” She shouted, running to her brother to grab him by the arm and try to pull him to his feet, but he wasn’t moving too much from his position curled up on the floor. 

His eyes widened for a split second and he rolled himself to the other side of the room, “Look out!” He warned, not taking his hands off of his ears. 

Alyssa tilted her head up to see part of the motel ceiling begin to fall straight towards her and she stumbled backwards, like someone pushed her out of the way just as it fell and shattered at her feet. 

“Dean come on, let’s get out of here,” She warned, once more trying to pull her brother to his feet, and she started to get there, but the windows on the other side of the room shattered once more, sending Alyssa to the ground to shield him this time. 

“Alyssa, DEAN!” She heard a voice call, and the door to their room was flung open and Bobby stumbled inside, the shaking and rumbling immediately stopping and leaving them in silence one more. “What was that?” Bobby asked, helping the two siblings to their feet. 

Dean shook his head, brushing the glass out of his hair and off his person, which Alyssa was confused by because she was scratch and glass free, “I dunno Bobby, I’m guessing it’s our monster,” He frowned, sighing as he did so. 

Alyssa opened her mouth, she was going to say she heard it, but decided against it because she had no clue what that meant for her, or even if she did hear their mysterious creature calling to them, she really had no clue.

“Good timing,” The older man muttered, “I found a summoning spell, and there’s an old warehouse out of town, we can mark it up and summon this thing, figure out why it rode you out,” He offered, pulling out a piece of paper and passing it over to Alyssa to read over. 

The spell seemed pretty simple, and having read it over, Alyssa was pretty sure the three of them could pull it off, and with all of them in the warehouse, hopefully what or whoever it was that pulled Dean out of hell couldn’t overpower them. “Seems legit to me, what are we waiting for?” She asked, passing the paper back over to Bobby. 

Dean looked out the open window, cursing, “Sam took my car,” He groaned, “Son of a bitch!” 

Immediately her brother picked up his phone and dialed for Sam, leaving Alyssa to roll her eyes and gather up the few things that the siblings had in the motel room, bringing them out to Bobby’s car. 

Dean met Bobby and Alyssa out by Bobby’s car in the next few minutes, shaking his head and using his sleeve to wipe up some blood off his forehead. “He’s out getting a burger,” He told them. 

Alyssa frowned as Dean climbed into the backseat, “You didn’t tell him?” She asked, curious as to why he’d not let his brother know they were summoning something. 

“He’d just try to stop us, I wanna figure this out once and for all,” Dean said as Bobby started the car up and drove them off towards his warehouse. 

()()()()()()

Bobby performed the spell almost immediately after they arrived while Alyssa and Dean drew a few more sigils around the place, not that it wasn’t already covered in demon traps alike, but better to be safe than sorry. 

And then they waited, and waited, they waited for what felt like forever, and Sam had to be done getting his burger by now, but there was no call from him as of yet.... Alyssa wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to be thinking.

“Are you sure you did the ritual right?” Dean asked, jumping up on the table with all their weapons and swinging his legs. “Sorry, touchy, huh?” He grinned, nudging Alyssa’s shoulder as he said so. 

She sighed, “As long as this thing decides to show up soon I’ll be happy,” She muttered to Dean. 

As if on cue, the roof started to rattle, the wind outside clearly picking up and the three hunters picked up their guns, readily aiming at the door. Alyssa watched with wide eyes as the gates holding the door closed slid open and the doors were flung open, revealing a man in a tan trench coat and suit, he had dark brown hair, almost black, and his eyes were a bright piercing blue that she could notice from across the warehouse. He started to stalk towards the trio and immediately Dean and Bobby started to shoot at the creature, but he seemed completely unaffected. 

Alyssa could’ve sworn his eyes were locked onto hers for the first few steps, not even noticing that he was being shot at. She was quick to set down her gun since he was quickly approaching them, and the lights started to shoot out, sending sparks down to the ground, leaving Alyssa to shield her face for a moment before she was able to grab her knife. 

Dean grabbed Ruby’s knife as the creature got right up close to them, and Bobby grabbed an iron crowbar. 

Alyssa watched as the stranger’s eyes shot towards hers once more before landing on Dean, “Who are you?” Dean growled out. 

The man cocked his head to the side from where he stood between Dean and Alyssa, “I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition,” He confessed, his gaze not wavering from Dean. 

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Dean breathed before letting out a grunt and lunging forward, plunging her knife straight through his heart. 

The man barely flinched as he looked down at the knife and pulled it out of his body, dropping it to their feet. Bobby immediately jumped into action while Alyssa was left feeling more than confused as to why she couldn’t react like Bobby and Dean. The man was faster than Bobby though, without looking he caught the iron bar being swung at him and pulled it out of his grip, turning to face Bobby. The man stalked towards Bobby now and lifted his hand up, touching the older man on the forehead and watching him to slump to the ground at his feet. 

“Bobby!” Alyssa exclaimed, watching with wide eyes as he collapsed, she scooted around the strange man, being careful not to run into him as she crouched down by Bobby’s side, checking for a pulse. 

“Your friend’s alive,” The creature said, not appeasing Alyssa until she could feel a pulse. “I need to speak to Dean alone,” He said, turning towards where Alyssa was crouching at his feet. 

She sprang up to her feet and took a few steps back as the man advanced on her, raising his fingers like he did to Bobby, “Who are you?” Alyssa asked before he could touch her. 

He sucked in a breath through his nose, closing his eyes as he did so before opening them and staring at her once more. “Castiel,” He told her. 

“She means what are you, douchebag!” Dean called from over the man’s shoulder, breaking his attention away from Alyssa. 

The stranger locked his steely gaze on Dean, not wavering at all from where he stood not even a foot away from Alyssa, “I am an angel of the lord,” He announced.

Alyssa let out a gasp, her hand flying up to her silver cross necklace as the angel looked over at her once more. “Get the hell out of here,” Dean growled, “There’s no such thing!” 

“That’s your problem Dean,” The angel said, “You have no faith.” With that the lights in the room flashed and from behind the man dark wings unfurled from behind his back, making Alyssa’s heart skip a beat, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing! 

“Now, we really do have to talk alone,” He said, sounding almost regretful as he spun around once more and backed Alyssa up into the corner of the warehouse, “I apologize for this,” He said, before lifting two fingers up and pressing them gently against her forehead. 

Immediately Alyssa felt herself slump down against the warehouse wall and before she could hit the ground she was caught by a pair of warm arms and lowered gently to the floor. She wasn’t asleep though, and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Bobby was feeling right now, but she couldn’t know for certain. 

The only way she could describe it was like being underwater, she could still hear two voices speaking with each other, but the words were muffled and not clear enough for her to make out. 

It felt like an eternity before something exciting finally happened! The fog in her mind finally cleared up and she was left standing in a forest, a dark one. 

“So this is what you dream about? Or is this my fault?” A voice from behind her asked. 

Alyssa gasped and spun around to see the angel looking around in the darkness his hands shoved into his coat pockets. “What are you doing here?” She asked him, “Where am I?” 

He looked at her now, “You’re dreaming,” The angel- Castiel explained to her. 

This time it was her turn to cock her head in confusion, “How are you in my dreams?” She asked, taking a minute to observe her surroundings this time, maybe she did recognize the forest that they were in but she just couldn’t figure out how she knew it. 

“I am an angel,” He said as if it was a good explanation. 

“You’ve mentioned,” Alyssa muttered, “Why can’t you wake me up then, you’re done talking to Dean I’m assuming…” She trailed off, looking towards the angel now who had yet to take his eyes off of her. 

“I am still talking to Dean, and I couldn’t risk you listening in on us right now,” He told her, “You can hear me.” 

She frowned, “You mean in the motel room? That was you right?” Alyssa clarified, and he nodded, “Why can I hear you? Dean looked like he was going to pass out.” 

Castiel sighed and took a few steps closer to her, “There are people, special people, that can perceive an angel’s true visage, I believed Dean to be one, but apparently I was reading that off the wrong person,” He said, shooting her a curious gaze. 

“Yeah,” She frowned, feeling like his answers weren’t helping her understand this situation anymore than she did before. “So can I hear all angels, or just you?”

“I imagine all angels, but I can’t be sure,” He confessed, “There is a strong… bond between some humans and angels, and angels haven’t roamed the earth in years, there’s no real way of telling if it is just me you’re connected to…” Castiel trailed off, looking around the forest once more. 

Alyssa frowned, she didn’t fancy being connected to one angel, let alone possibly being connected to more of them! “What do you mean connected?” She asked, hoping she’d get a more thorough answer out of him. 

He froze in place, “Dean wants me to wake you up now, I will explain more when I can,” The stoic angel told her, suddenly appearing face to face with the young hunter, “I hope to see you soon Alyssa,” Castiel said before taking one more step towards her and pressing his two calloused fingers against the skin of her forehead. 

A split second later Alyssa found herself awake on the floor of the warehouse, Dean and Bobby standing above her, “What happened?” She asked dumbly, feeling more than confused at the moment. 

Dean helped her to her feet and waited until she brushed herself off, “Apparently the man upstairs needs me alive for something big, the self proclaimed angel douchebag wouldn’t even bother telling me why!” He grunted, throwing some of their weapons into his duffel. 

“Well,” Alyssa began, moving to the table to help Bobby and Dean pack up, “At least this time, it was one of the good guys right? And at least we know who pulled you out now, so we can get back to hunting, just like the good old days, right?” She offered, shooting him a grin. 

He chuckled and elbowed her, “You’re right about that short stack, we’ll worry about douchebag angels another time,” Dean agreed, watching as Bobby carried his bags out of the warehouse and most likely into his car. “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” Dean asked, setting his duffel back on the table. 

“What’s up?” Alyssa asked, zipping up her bag. 

Dean cleared his throat, “That angel, uh, Castiel, he was asking about… you,” He began, gauging Alyssa’s reaction, when she said nothing he continued, “He also told me that you are now under his protection and if me or Sammy or anyone ever put you in harm’s way, we’d have to deal with him, Do you have any clue why he’d say that?” He asked. 

She opened and closed her mouth several times, not quite knowing what to say in response to him, “I, uh, I have no idea why he’d say that to you…” She frowned. 

Her older brother shook his head, “Well maybe he’ll tell us about it soon, I dunno,” He muttered. 

Alyssa was about to ask him more about the Angel, but Bobby popped his head back into the warehouse doors, “Are you two coming? We should get back to Sam!” Bobby called.

“Coming Bobby!” Alyssa replied, grabbing her duffel and hurrying to catch up to the older man. 

Piling into Bobby’s car, they decided they’d head back to Bobby’s place and meet Sam with the impala there when he got there. Alyssa fell, exhausted into the back seat, pulling her feet up onto the seat next to her in an attempt to get more comfortable on the ride back. The past two days had been more than crazy compared to the normal life of a hunter, she doubted any other hunter she came across had seen someone who had been pulled from hell, let alone met an angel! But at the moment, she couldn’t care less, she was just happy that her brother was alive and well, and they could move on with their lives, for the most part, the other part was still curious as to why the angel would bring her up to Dean, but she was determined to figure it out. 

However, she was quick to get comfortable in her seat, listening to Dean and Bobby argue briefly about the music choice as she settled down further, and soon enough she was drifting off to sleep, for the first time in a while feeling like she had nothing to worry about.   
After all, how much harm could angels bring them?    



	2. Chapter 2

She didn’t like to hunt on holidays, it felt like she was being deprived of something, but hunting on Halloween, well it just felt  _ right _ . All the creepiness surrounding the date, it was a perfect time for any monster to strike, and and even better time for the hunters to strike back. Of course, hunting a witch seemed almost too cheesy for their Halloween, but here they were, talking to a grade school art teacher about their witch! 

Right now the teacher, Don, was telling Sam and Alyssa about Tracy’s graphic drawings of death and demonic symbols, “Symbols?” Sam perked up, looking over towards Alyssa who was scanning the art classroom for anything suspicious, she didn’t want to find another hex bag somewhere, “What kind of symbols? Uh, anything like this?” He asked, pulling out the small coin he had in his pocket. 

Alyssa joined the man as Don observed the coin, “Yeah, yeah I think that might’ve been one of them,” He frowned, sounding like he was brushing the question off, almost. 

“Do you know where Tracy is now?” Alyssa asked once Sam had the coin tucked back into his pockets. 

Don shrugged, rubbing at his chin, “I’d imagine at her apartment,” He offered. 

“Her apartment?” Sam inquired. 

“Yeah, she got her about a year ago, alone, as I understood it,” Don explained, “As an emancipated teen. God only knows what her parents were like!” He sighed, shaking his head. 

“Well thank you very much for your time, Don, we appreciate it, but me and my partner need to be heading out now,” Alyssa said, offering her hand for him to shake, Sam following suit. 

“Anytime, though hopefully you won’t need to talk to me again,” He said with an awkward chuckle, “I hope you guys find what you’re looking for!

Sam and Alyssa left the art room as fast as they could, getting away from the creepy creations his students had made and met back up with Dean at his car, “Any good news?” The older brother asked.

“Wouldn’t call it good news,” Sam sighed, clamoring into the front seat, which he often got over Alyssa because of his long lets, “Tracy’s been drawing signs for a few weeks now, just like our coin,” He told Dean as Alyssa situated herself in his car. 

“What about you? Good news on your end?” Alyssa asked. 

Dean put the car in drive and started off towards their motel, “No luck with Tracy, no luck with her friends, guess it’s not our style,” He chuckled, “Her friends don’t know where she is, it’s like the bitch popped a broomstick!” 

Thankfully, their motel was located relatively close to the school and soon enough they were unpacking the Impala for a night in the town, “Alright well what’re we going to do, she could be making the third sacrifice any time,” Sam announced. 

“Yes, thank you Sam,” Dean said, making Alyssa roll her eyes at her two brothers before she went to unlock their motel room, leaving them to argue out by the car. 

She unlocked the door to their room and shut it behind her then threw her bag down by the entrance. It wasn’t until she turned on the light switch that she noticed the two other people in her room, She let out a quick yelp before pulling out the only weapon she had on her person at the moment, a small silver blade, “What are you doing here?” She demanded as she flipped on the lights and realized who it was she was yelling at. 

On the bed sat the trench coated angel she’d come to be somewhat familiar with, and by the window stood someone she hadn’t seen yet, but could only assume it was another angel. Castiel had visited several times since they had first met and she was no closer to understanding him that she was the first time they’d met, if anything he’d been even more cryptic! 

The first time was after the ghost incident that they had to deal with in Bobby’s house several weeks back… 

_ After making sure her family was all okay and not hurt in any debilitating ways, she finally allowed herself to realize how absolutely exhausted she was for the first time in a while. Bobby’s place was a place she could trust, now that the ghosts were taken care of, and she was tired! “Hey guys, I think I’m going to knock out for a little while, it’s been a long… month,” She said with a laugh, watching as Dean popped open a beer, Sam propped his feet up as he relaxed into the couch and Bobby started to clean up some of his supplies that they just used.  _

_ “Alright, you know where to go,” Bobby said, gesturing towards the stairs.  _

_ She nodded and clamored up to his second floor, finding the spare bedroom easily and plopping down on the bed immediately, not even bothering to change out of her disgusting clothes, just falling straight into the world of dreams.  _

_ Alyssa slept peacefully too, which was strange because it was the first time in a while, but it was like she was put to rest and she was not waking up until her body got the sleep that it needed. She didn’t wake up until it was light the next morning, another first in a long time for her, and she couldn’t be happier, until she saw a somewhat familiar man standing next to her bed.  _

_ She shot to her feet, pulling half the covers off the bed with her as she jumped up, grabbing the small shotgun off the bedside table before she realized who it was.  _

_ The angel, Castiel was standing in her room, staring right at her, “Hello Alyssa,” He greeted, “I hope you slept well.” He had a comforting presence, there was just something about him, or maybe it was all angels? But Alyssa was quick to regain her senses and relax once more.  _

_ After a moment, Alyssa lowered her gun back down to the bedside table, “Hi, um, yeah I did,” She said, still feelings a little out of it because she just woke up. “Uh, can I help you?”  _

_ He nodded, “Good you needed it,” The angel said, “How are you feeling? Are you hurt?” He questioned.  _

_ “I-” Alyssa stuttered, realizing just how sore her body felt from the altercation the night previous, “I guess I’m a little sore, nothing time won’t fix,” She confessed.  _

_ In a split second the angel had disappeared from her view and reappeared not even a foot away from her. Alyssa’s breath caught and she stumbled backwards into the wall, feeling nervous as he matched her until he was practically holding her up against the wall. His hand came into her view and before he could touch her once more, Alyssa slipped under his arm to get away from him, “Wait a second, I just slept for hours, I don’t need you putting me back under!” She accused, backing away from the creature.  _

_ He turned to face her, his hand still raised and a look of confusion on his face, “I was not going to ‘put you under,’ I was going to heal you,” He frowned.  _

_ “Heal me?” Alyssa asked, not quite being able to wrap her mind around what he was trying to tell her.  _

_ “Here,” He said, once more reaching up towards her forehead and pressing his two fingers against her skin. Warmth spread through her body instantly, filling her with a feelings of content and happiness. She didn’t realize she was closing her eyes, and when the feelings was gone, she popped them open again, coming face to face with the angel.  _

_ Blinking a couple of times she pulled away from him, clearing her throat as she did so, “Wow, I- uh, thank you,” She breathed, looking down at her body in confusion.  _

_ “It’s nothing,” He nodded, “You shouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place,” The angel mumbled under his breath.  _

_ Alyssa shrugged as she sat back down on Bobby’s guest bed, “Well I wasn’t really hurt, not anything I couldn’t handle,” She said, trying to defend herself, just because she wasn’t an angel didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own.  _

_ “Yes I know,” He agreed, to Alyssa’s delight, “But I told Dean if he let you get hurt he would have to deal with me,” The angel growled, his steely gaze suddenly turning on the door that led to the rest of the house.  _

_ The angel started to move towards the bedroom door, forcing Alyssa to quickly step in front of him, blocking him as he marched towards the doorway, “No way, you don’t get to go out there and berate him for something that wasn’t under his control!” She argued, her hands pressed up against his chest to get him to stop moving.  _

_ Castiel looked down at her fingertips against his chest, cocking his head to the side as he watched her, “They should’ve gotten you out of here, kept you in the safe room,” He told her, his eyes flashing dangerously.  _

_ Alyssa frowned, her hands coming back to her side, “It is not Dean’s problem to try to keep me safe, I wouldn’t let them leave me down there unless they have an actual reason!” She argued, getting more and more annoyed at the being.  _

_ He sighed, taking another step towards Alyssa and the door, “My orders are to keep you safe,” Castiel told her, much to her confusion, “I cannot be here to protect you always.”  _

_ With that he disappeared with a flap of his wings, leaving Alyssa’s heart racing and her head filled with even more confusion than before. Her second altercation with the angel and she still had no clue what he was in their lives for, regarding her or regarding Dean!  _ _   
_

He’d popped up a few more times after that too, showing up in Bobby’s house, in motel rooms, and on the road once or twice, and even when he had to speak with Dean, Alyssa realized that the angel would always find a reason to come to her and speak with her about something. It was almost endearing if not a little strange… 

“Castiel?” Alyssa asked, snapping herself back to the present and sliding her knife back into her pocket. 

The angel turned to face her, not regarding the other man standing by the window, “Hello Alyssa,” He greeted with a nod, his hands folded behind his back as he approached her, walking up to her until he was standing much too close to her for comfort. 

Just as she was about to speak, she heard the motel door behind her get flung open and she cleared her throat, moving to get some space from the angel before her brother jumped into action, “Who are you?” He demanded, his gun raised as he pointed it towards Alyssa and Castiel. 

Dean was right behind him though, “Sam!” He yelled, grabbing the gun out of his hands, “Sam, wait! It’s Castiel!” He announced. 

Alyssa turned, her back to the celestial being, “He’s the angel,” She clarified, as if they didn’t talk about the angel enough. 

Dean nodded towards the other figure in the room with them, shooting Alyssa a strange look, “Him I don’t know.” 

Alyssa rolled her eyes as she watched Sam take a few steps towards her and Castiel, a small smile of wonder coming to his face, “Oh my God-” He stuttered, “Er, I, uhh, I didn’t mean to, sorry! It’s an honor, really- I’ve heard a lot about you!” Sam grinned, shooting his hand out to shake Castiel’s. 

Alyssa stood between them as she watched Castiel struggle to know what to do, the angel gave her a questioning look and she nodded in Sam’s direction, silently urging the angel to take his hand. Castiel took Sam’s hand in his own, and when Sam started to shake it, the angel finally got the hint. 

“And I you- Sam Winchester,” Castiel greeted in reply, his other hand coming up and encasing Sam’s in his grip, “The boy with the demon blood. Glad to see you’ve ceased your extracurricular activities,” He unintentionally goaded. 

Finally the man staring out the window spoke up, turning to face the siblings as he did so, “Let’s keep it that way,” He announced. 

Dean shot him a curious look, “Yeah okay chuckles,” He rolled his eyes before looking to Castiel, “Who’s your friend?” 

Castiel didn’t seem to be in the mood to chat though, “The rising of Samhain, have you stopped it?” He asked, sounding more urgent than Alyssa had heard him sound… ever. 

“Why?” Dean replied, curiously. 

“Dean,” Castiel repeated, more urgently this time, “Have you located the witch?” 

“Yes we’ve located the witch,” He repeated. 

Castiel took a step closer to where Dean was standing, inadvertently getting himself closer to Alyssa’s side, “And is the witch dead?” 

This time Sam looked like he had something to prove, “No,” He began, catching Castiel’s attention, “But-” 

“We know who it is!” Alyssa interjected, not liking the way that Castiel was staring down her brother. 

Castiel’s blue eyes shot down to meet hers, his hand retreating into his coat pocket, “This was inside the wall of your room,” He told the siblings, pulling a hex bag out of his pocket, “If we hadn’t found it surely one of you, or all of you, would’ve been dead,” Castiel explained, shooting a scowl towards Dean, “Do you know where the witch is now?” 

“We’re working on it,” Dean confessed. 

The angel sighed, glancing down at Alyssa, “That’s unfortunate.” He murmured. 

“What do you care?” The older brother shot back. 

“The rising of Samhain is one of the sixty-six seals,” He explained. 

“So this is about your buddy Lucifer,” Dean deduced, taking a step closer to Castiel, hoping to get more information out of him. 

The other man, who still was nameless to the siblings spoke up again, “Lucifer is no friend of ours,” He growled. 

“It’s just an expression-” Her older brother scoffed. 

But Castiel was quick to cut him off, “Lucifer cannot rise,” He warned, “The breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs!” 

With one look at her older brother, Alyssa could tell he was itching to fight, “Okay great, well now that you’re here, why don’t you tell us where the witch is, we’ll gank her and everyone can go home!” Dean decided, throwing out his arms in frustration. 

Castiel shot her brother a look, “We are not omniscient, this witch is very powerful, she’s cloaked even our methods,” He growled in Dean’s direction. 

Sam, too, could see the argument forming between the angel and his brother, “Okay, well, we already know who she is, so if we can work together-” Once more Sam was cut off. 

“Enough of this,” The mysterious man spoke up. 

“Okay,” Dean interjected, “Who are you and why should I care?” 

“This is Uriel,” Castiel finally introduced, “He’s what you might call a… specialist.” 

Alyssa noticed a strange note in Castiel’s tone when he introduced the other man and couldn’t help but to pry further, “What kind of specialist?” She asked, curiously, feeling not too comfortable around the taller angel. 

“You need to leave this town immediately,” Castiel warned, reaching out as if to tap Alyssa on the forehead again, like he was ready to get rid of her straight away.  

Alyssa was quick to slip away from his side and scoot backwards towards her brothers, “Why?” She asked, shooting Castiel a wary look. 

His blue eyes were locked onto hers, “Because we’re about to destroy it,” Castiel told them, sounding more emotionless than she’d ever heard him sound before. 

“So your plan is to smite the whole freaking town?” Dean demanded to know, getting in front of his sister after noticing that Castiel and her were having a stare down and catching his attention once more. 

“We’re out of time, the witch has to die, the seal can’t be broken!” Castiel grit out. 

From behind Dean’s back, Alyssa could see Sam looked stunned, “There are a thousand people in this town!” He argued. 

“One thousand, two hundred fourteen,” Uriel spoke up again, looking almost pleased he knew the number off the top of his head. 

Alyssa pushed herself back out from behind Dean’s back, staring down Castiel once more, “And you’re willing to kill them all?” She demanded to know, frowning as her eyes darted back and forth between the two angels. 

Her eyes shot to Castiel, hoping the familiarity the two of them shared would somehow guilt him into doing what was right, but it was Uriel that spoke up, “This isn’t the first time I’ve purified a city,” He announced, smiling almost sadistically. 

Castiel’s eyes shot towards Alyssa when he heard Uriel say this and he squinted towards her, almost like he was trying to read her, “Look I understand this is regrettable,” He attempted to reassure. 

“Regrettable?” Her older brother scoffed. 

Turning his gaze back to Dean, Castiel hardened up once more, “We have to hold the line, too many seals have been broken already,” He insisted. 

“So what?” Alyssa argued, “You messed up on a few seals and a whole town has to pay the price?” She demanded, taking a few steps closer to the angel. 

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, they were angels! Since when did angels kill people? Let alone destroy entire towns! From the moment she met Castiel she couldn’t help but feel like she was in awe whenever he was near, but in this moment she finally got what Dean meant whenever he called him a dick. He was horrible.

Castiel sighed deeply through his nose, “It’s the lives of one thousand against six billion,” He argued back, attempting to convince her to see it from the angel’s point of view, “There’s a bigger picture here!” He said, making Alyssa’s words get caught in her throat. 

“Right, cause you’re a bigger picture type of guy,” Dean said, rolling his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that night. 

“Lucifer cannot rise,” Castiel bit back, “He does and hell rises with him, is that something you’re willing to risk?” 

Thankfully, Sam chose to speak up then, noticing the rising tension in the room, “We’ll stop this witch before she summons anyone. Your seal won’t be broken and no one has to die,” He offered. 

“We’re wasting time with these mud monkeys,” Uriel spat out, looking disdainfully towards the siblings. 

The blue eyed angel turned back to face his counterpart, so his back was to the siblings, “I’m sorry but we have our orders,” He said, still not facing any of the Winchesters. 

Alyssa watched as a change passed over Sam’s face, “No, you can’t do this, you’re angels!” He argued, “I mean, you aren’t supposed to- you’re supposed to show mercy!” Apparently her brother shared her thoughts about angels, which was a shame because she knew he was excited to meet them, and clearly it wasn’t all what he cracked it up to be. 

“We have no choice,” The blue eyed angel shot back. 

“Of course you have a choice,” Alyssa argued, not being able to stop herself, she was just pissed! “I mean come on! You’ve never questioned a single order? You both just follow along mindlessly with whatever you’re told?” She demanded to know. 

“Even if you can’t understand, have faith. The plan is just.” The stoic angel insisted, not bothering to stop his ideology. 

“How can you even say that?” Sam demanded. 

“Because it comes from heaven, that makes it just!” Castiel seemed to spit back towards her brother, finally sounding outright annoyed with the trio. 

Dean scoffed, taking another step towards the angel, “Oh it must be nice, to be so sure of yourself!” He argued. 

The angel cocked his head to the side, “Tell me something, Dean, when your father gave you an order, didn’t you obey?” He said, staring down the oldest Winchester. 

“Well sorry boys, the plans have changed.” Dean growled out, sounding like he wanted the conversation to be over. 

“You think you can stop us?” Uriel scoffed, turning back towards the window. 

Before Alyssa knew what was happening, Dean marched straight over towards Uriel, only pausing when the angel spun back around to face him, threateningly, causing Sam to move towards his brother too, leaving Castiel and Alyssa standing together once more. 

It was hard to ignore what her brothers were saying to Uriel due to the loudness of their voices, that is until Castiel blocked her view of them completely, getting right up into her face. “I’m still going to make sure  _ you _ get out of this town,” He enforced, grabbing her tightly by the wrist. 

Surprisingly, he still hadn’t zapped her out of there, he was just threatening to, “Wait!” She hissed, not wanting to leave her brothers as she tried to tug herself out of his too tight grip, to no avail, “You are  _ not  _ taking me away from my brothers, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!” Alyssa enforced right back at the angel, trying to contain the anger she felt towards the celestial being. 

He frowned and his grip tightened a little bit more around his wrist, pulling her arm towards his body, “My orders are to keep you safe,” The angel growled. 

“I am perfectly safe with my  _ family _ , not stowed away someplace safe, watch over me here or whatever angels do, cause I am not letting you take me away,” She scowled up at him, for the first time realizing how much taller than her he really was. Sam and Dean towered above her, and above the angel, but now that her brothers weren’t there it was easy to see how the angel took up her entire view. 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” The angel deadpanned, still not letting go of her. 

Thankfully in that moment, Uriel called out to Castiel, moving his attention back to the primary argument and leaving room for Alyssa to slip out of his grip and march over towards her brothers.  

“Enough!” Castiel called out, holding up a hand, giving each of the Winchesters a heated look, “I suggest you move quickly.” 

Alyssa took a deep breath in, feeling relieved that he finally gave in to their… stubbornness, forcing herself to not snicker at the looks of disbelief on both her brothers faces. 

“You bet your ass we will!” Dean growled back to the angel, going into this bag he dropped on the floor before and digging around in it. 

Alyssa began to root around through her stuff, grabbing her gun out of her bag and when she turned to tell her brothers she was ready to go, she found herself staring at Castiel’s chest, “Jesus,” She swore, “Just so you know there’s a thing called personal space,” She grit out, after composing herself from the initial fright. 

All Castiel did was stare at her for a moment before doing his signature head cock, “I need to talk to you,” He told her, and before Alyssa could utter a word, he had pressed his two fingers to her forehead and they were gone just like that. 

A split second later the two of them appeared in a park she recognized from driving by in the town earlier, which made her anger die down a little bit, knowing he didn’t take her out of the town like he’d threatened to do before, but at the same time she didn’t know how her brothers would react to their disappearance. 

“What is your problem?” Alyssa demanded as soon as she regained her balance with a little help from Castiel, “You can’t just zap people away whenever you feel like it! My brothers are probably freaking out!” She refrained from yelling at the angel, since they were in a public place, smart on his part. 

“I needed to talk to you,” He repeated, a look of confusion on his face. 

She rolled her eyes, “Just because you’re an angel doesn’t mean my time matters less than yours! We’re getting ready to go gank a witch,” Alyssa shot back. 

Before Castiel could respond, Alyssa’s phone started to ring and she shot him another look before answering it, already knowing it would be one of her brothers, “Hey I’m alright, I’m in the park in town, Castiel said he needed to talk,” She explained before she could get her ass handed to her by one or both of them. 

_ “Tell his holy douchebaggery to bring you back, we’re about to go find this witch,”  _ Dean grit out through the phone. 

She turned to Castiel, about to tell him off, but with one look at him Alyssa could tell he was confused, and… sad? With a sigh she answered her brother, “I’ll have to meet you guys wherever you end up, text me,” She told him, closing her phone and turning back to the angel, “Fine, what’s up?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Castiel shifted slightly, looking away from Alyssa before speaking, “I am… confused and I would like your help,” He confessed, “After I raised Dean from hell my superiors believe that I am expression affection for humans, especially those in my charge.” 

Alyssa shook her head, knowing he was talking about Dean, if it was up to Uriel they would’ve been sent as far away from the town as possible and all of the people there would’ve been dead already, “What’s wrong with showing affection?” She asked, furrowing her brow. 

The angel sat himself down on the park bench, looking down at his feet, “Before I tell you, you need to promise not to tell another soul,” He said, turning very serious. 

Alyssa nodded, sinking down to the bench beside him, “I promise,” She offered, feeling like she should extend him some sort of comfort, but with his talk about affection she knew it wasn’t the right time. 

“I have been questioning things that are going on in heaven, I have doubts,” He confessed to her, his voice dropping an octave as he got quieter. “I do not know what is right or wrong anymore, and I am afraid of what I might discover,” Castiel told her, still not looking at her. 

She couldn’t resist, she’d always been a very hands on person compared to her two brothers, she figured that they needed one of them to be feely to give the others some comfort and that fell onto her. Before she could realize what she was doing, her hand fell onto his where it was resting on the bench, intending to offer some comfort to him. Instead, as soon as she touched his skin, she felt a tingle run through her body and her breath caught in her chest to realize he was staring straight at her, waiting for her to talk. Alyssa was quick to move her hand away, “It’s alright to be confused,” She began, not quite knowing how to comfort an angel, “Everyone has doubts from time to time, it’s natural. And you need to think for yourself and figure out what you think is right or wrong and that’s how you should live your life,” Alyssa told him. 

He was still staring at her, “Thank you, Alyssa, I- I just don’t know how to do that,” Castiel frowned. 

She cleared her throat, there was still a feeling of animosity towards the angel due to the decision they just wanted to make regarding the town, but at the same time she felt a strange pull to him, and being around him comforted her in a weird way, but maybe that was an effect all angels had on humans? “Well, you can always… you can talk to me if you ever need to, but maybe don’t just zap me out of there,” She offered him a small smile, “But yeah I’ll be here for you.” 

Alyssa could’ve sworn she saw a smile pull at the corners of his lips before he hid it, “You are a very kind human, I am grateful,” Castiel said, “I should get you back to your brothers now, thank you for this.” He said again, standing up from the bench and offering his hand to Alyssa. 

She gratefully accepted it, letting him pull her to her feet before she pulled out her phone, “They’re back at the school, if you’d want to zap me over there?” She asked, her hand still in Castiel’s grip as he nodded. Her feet landed on solid ground in the next second and she could see the impala parked along the curb, “Thanks Castiel, we’re not gonna let this seal break, trust us,” She offered before running off towards her brother’s car, leaving the angel in the dust. 

She noticed Sam and Dean at the backdoors of one of the school buildings, “Sam, Dean!” She called, running up to them, “Sorry about that, did we find her?” She asked. 

“Took you long enough,” Dean teased, “What were you and the angel talking about?” 

Sam cut Dean off though, changing the topic quickly, which she was more than happy about because she did promise the angel she wouldn’t tell anyone what they talked about, “Nevermind man, we think she’s in the basement, probably going to make the final sacrifice soon, we need to move,” He urged. 

Sam was quick to kick down the doors to the basement and the three of them filed into the dark stairwell, going deep below the school. Alyssa raised her gun, on the lookout for any movement going on, as her two brothers did the same thing. 

Finally, they reached the basement, it was filled with old school supplies, broken equipment and other miscellaneous items, and it was dark, only a few flickering lights keeping their path bright. From their left, Alyssa could hear voices, and she silently urged her brothers to follow her down the new path. When she got to the source of the voices she was very surprised to see Don the art teacher, had Tracy tied up! Don raised his hand, ready to bring the knife down, and without hesitation, Alyssa raised her gun and fired three succinct shots straight into his back, killing him instantly. 

Sam and Dean were quick to go help Tracy out of her bonds, as Alyssa kicked the body over, making sure he was really dead, which he thankfully was and she quickly joined her brothers by Tracy’s side, “Thank you,” She cried, “ He was gonna kill me! That sick son of a bitch. I mean, did you see what he was doing? Did you hear him?” Suddenly there was a swift change in the girl, “How sloppy his incantation was?” She said with a sick grin. 

Immediately, the three of them realized that they’d been tricked, but before any of them could raise their gun to shoot the witch dead, she’d shot out her hand, sending the siblings straight to the ground. Instantly there was a pain in Alyssa’s stomach, her entire body writhing on the ground in pain, her ears were ringing, which was the only thing she was thankful for because it droned out the witch’s monologue, which she couldn’t care less about. 

Alyssa tried to climb to her feet from where she was lying next to Sam, but it was impossible, she was in too much pain! Then suddenly, there was a familiar ringing in her ears, no longer a painful one, this was a sound she’d heard before, and soon enough the ringing turned into words. 

_ “Get out of there Alyssa, now!”  _ Came Castiel’s voice in her head in an angry shout, one that she doubted anyone else could hear. 

She wanted to scream back at him that she couldn’t move, that she was in so much pain she could barely think, but in the next second, she felt nothing, there was no more pain and she could see what was going on again. 

_ “Leave now!”  _ He commanded again. 

Alyssa could hear the witch finishing her incantation, ‘ _ It’s not that easy’ _ She thought, hoping Castiel would get the message somehow, just as Sam reached out and covered his face in Don’s still gushing blood. 

“Follow my lead and get down,” He instructed, best he could while still clearly feeling intense pain. 

She could’ve gagged, but she listened to her brother, reaching down and smearing his blood all over her face while Sam covered Dean’s face in the gooey substance, and all three of them laid down, feinting death. Alyssa doubted her brothers could hear Tracy finish the incantation and hear Don’s body get possessed by Samhain, but she could hear it loud and clear, she could hear the words of adoration proclaimed between the two of them and then she heard the sound of bones cracking and Tracy’s body falling on the ground. 

Alyssa froze up, her body going limp in her best attempt to play dead as Samhain took slow steps past the siblings and out the door, leaving them in an eerie silence, that Dean was quick to break. 

“What the hell was that?” He demanded immediately wiping the blood off of his face. 

“Halloween lore,” Sam whispered back, cleaning up his face best he could as well, “People used to wear masks to hide from him so I gave it a shot,” He shrugged. 

“You gave it a shot?” Alyssa frowned, shooting her brother a look as the three of them climbed to their feet. 

“Nevermind,” He said, “Let’s go get to Samhain before he can get to anyone else.” 

()()()()()()

It was pretty easy to find the demon after that, and once her and Dean managed to torch all of the bodies they ran after Sam, hoping to see their brother perfectly alright. Instead, the two siblings saw Sam with his arm raised, holding Samhain against the wall, and when he finally successfully exorcised him that was when he noticed Dean and Alyssa standing there, watching him after warning him not to on multiple occasions. Needless to say, the car ride back to the hotel was more than awkward. 

Alyssa was more than thankful they were spending the night in the motel again, she hated trying to get some sleep on the road, and she was the first one to pass out on her bed, thankful to not be awake during the argument Sam and Dean were more likely to have at some point in the night. 

As soon as her head hit the pillow she had passed out, but it was the weirdest feeling because in the next instant, she found herself still lying in her motel room bed, but neither of her brothers were there, it was just her. She stood up and walked to the center of the motel room, not feeling tired at all, just curious as to what was going on. 

“I am glad you are okay,” From behind her, Castiel’s gravely voice rang out, immediately catching Alyssa’s attention. 

She spun around to see the tan coated angel looking at the bed where she was previously laying down, “Am I dreaming?” Alyssa wasted no time trying to figure out what exactly was going on. 

He nodded as he looked up at her, “Yes, this is a dream,” Castiel said, “Are you feeling alright?” 

Alyssa nodded, still not quite understanding why he cared so much about her well being, “Yeah, I’m fine…” She trailed off, wondering if it was Castiel that stopped the witch’s spell back down in the basement, but obviously the angel wouldn’t tell her what she wanted to know. 

“I am… happy to hear it,” Castiel nodded, “And I am very happy you were able to save the town, I was praying for it,” He confessed. 

Alyssa looked up at him, feeling pleasantly surprised at the change in his behavior, “You were?” She asked, in disbelief. 

“These people, they’re all my father’s creations. They’re works of art,” Castiel said, “And yet, even though you stopped Samhain, the seal was broken and we are one step closer to hell on Earth, for all creation. And that’s not an expression, it’s literal,” He said, somberly. 

Hell on Earth, she couldn’t even comprehend the thought, and at the same time it helped her realize how much pressure the angel was under at the moment, “I’m sorry, but we couldn’t let Uriel destroy the whole town,” She sighed, suddenly remembering something, "Back in the basement of the school, I- I could've sworn that I heard you, that  _was_ you right?" She questioned the angel. 

He looked up at her, "Yes, that was me," The angel confessed. 

"How is that possible?" She asked, feeling very curious, since Dean hadn't ever said anything about hearing Castiel in his head, and throughout their time as hunters they had hardly experienced anyone being able to talk to them telepathically, "Can all angels do that?" 

Castiel looked like he wanted to zap out of there, but thankfully he didn't leave her just yet, "Not all angels, I don't think anyways. It seems that we are connected in some way that I have not figured out, we share a bond," He said with a furrowed brow, "And through the bond I can hear your thoughts when you project them, and I can project mine own into your head." Castiel explained, looking just as confused as she felt. 

"Bonded?" Alyssa asked, "Oh no, I'm not going to be bonded to some angel I hardly know!" She argued, "No offence, you come off as a pretty good guy, but being bonded to someone seems like something I'd have to consent to, and I didn't sign any forms," Alyssa could feel herself getting a little flustered at the thought that they could've been bonded. 

It's not that she hated the angel in any way, she sometimes even enjoyed his company, but he was a celestial being, and sometimes an ass, especially when he was with Uriel! She also didn't know what bonded implied, maybe he was like her guardian angel or something, but she never imagined having someone look over her, anyone other than her brother and Bobby that is, but here he was. 

That's when she noticed the slightly down-trodden look on his face, "I understand why you would feel this way, I am confused too, but I will try to figure out why we are... bonded," Castiel offered, nodding at her slightly, "But for now, it shouldn't affect you." 

Alyssa sighed, feeling slightly overwhelmed but she did believe him, he was probably just as confused as she was, "Alright, yeah, thanks," She mumbled with a small sigh, "Well, let me know if you figure anything out about... us," Alyssa said with a small laugh. 

Castiel nodded, “I need to speak with Dean now,” He said, “I will be in touch,” Castiel offered, and just like that he was gone, and Alyssa was waking up to a brightly lit hotel room. Looking at the clock she realized it was already 8 in the morning, much later than she usually got to sleep, but she didn’t mind, as long as her brothers weren’t waiting for her, which from the looks of the empty hotel room they might’ve been. 

Alyssa scrambled to gather all of her belongings and freshen up as quickly as possible before running out to Dean’s impala, where him and Sam were standing, talking in hushed voices. “Hey guys!” Alyssa grinned, throwing her bag into the backseat of the car, “Ready to hit the road?” 

Thankfully, all was good and her brothers were quick to climb into the front seat of his Impala, leaving the witch town and not bothering to look back. 


	3. Chapter 3

Alyssa was more than surprised when she walked into their motel room for the night only to find Uriel and Castiel standing there, but for some reason she knew they would be there, she recognized the feeling of comfort that washed over her whenever she was near Castiel… or an angel, maybe, she was still trying to figure it out. Uriel was quick to greet them in his typical unenthusiastic fashion and her and her brothers responded in equal. The three of them were just getting back from Pam’s funeral, which she was very put down by, and with the appearance of the angels she wasn’t sure if any good news was coming their way. 

And it didn’t take her long to figure out that she was getting bad news. 

“You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we’ve got,” Uriel said, a small smirk on his face.

Alyssa watched as her brother looked down at the ground, and Castiel seemed to notice his hesitation too, “Dean, you are our best hope,” He confessed. 

She almost interjected too, but Dean was more than happy to argue about this, “No,” He grit out almost immediately, “No way. You can’t ask me to do this Cas, not this!” 

Before any of them knew what was going on, Uriel had marched his way over to Dean’s side, frowning down at him, “Who said anything about asking?” The angel demanded, and before Alyssa could even get in a word of complaint, the two angels had disappeared with her brother. 

“Damn it!” Sam cursed before Alyssa had the chance to. 

She closed her eyes, wondering how they were supposed to get their brother back before he was forced to torture a demon for information,  _ ‘I swear to God, Cas, you’d better bring him back!’  _ She cursed in her head, hoping he’d be able to hear her and not ignore her. 

He’d been able to send his thoughts her way several times before, and she was sure he’d get several of hers, but she’d never actively tried to project her thoughts to him until now, but now she was  _ pissed _ . 

After a few moments without a response from him she cursed again, ‘ _ God damn it! _ ’ not intending to project this one. 

_ ‘You do not need to curse our father, this was not his doing,’ _ Came the Angel’s grumbled reply, resonating throughout her head. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but ignore Sam as he stumbled around the room, picking up his computer she assumed to immediately go do some research,  _ ‘Bring Dean back asshole!’ _ She thought back, knowing he could hear her loud and clear now. 

_ ‘I can’t we need him, I am sorry,’ _ Came the angel’s unapologetic reply. 

She scowled, happy Sam was preoccupied so she didn’t look insane because she still hadn’t told her brother’s about her so called bond with the angel, she didn’t quite believe it herself!  _ ‘Bull, you can’t make him torture for you Castiel! Sam and I are going to find him’ _ She argued, locking herself in the bathroom in case Sam did try and talk to her. 

He was silent after that, Alyssa should’ve known that if she got aggressive with him he would shut her out, what she didn’t expect was for him to pop up right behind her in the bathroom the second she looked up into the mirror. 

Alyssa let out a small squeak of surprise before realizing who it was and silencing herself, not wanting to draw Sam’s attention to what was going on in their bathroom. “Hello Alyssa,” He greeted as he stared at her through the mirror over her shoulder. 

She spun around, pressing her back to the sink in order to get some space from the angel who seemed to have no understanding of personal space, “Castiel,” She greeted, not really getting the chance to talk to him before when him and Uriel zapped Dean straight out of their hotel room, “Since when does Uriel pull the strings around here?” She asked, finding it easier to interrogate him now that they were face to face instead of feeling like she was crazy talking to herself! 

“My superiors have begun to question my sympathies,” He told her, looking forlorn as he stared at her, like he was expecting her to help him in some way. 

Her anger started to diminish almost immediately when she noticed the look of confusion on his face, he looked very lost, if there was any way to put it, “So this is what we were talking about last time, right?” She questioned, wanting to understand what he was going through as best as she could. 

“Apparently I’ve been getting to close to the humans in my charge. You,” He explained with a pointed look, “They feel I’ve begun to express emotions, the doorway to doubt. This can impair my judgement,” He explained, “For what it’s worth I would give anything to not have Dean do this, but it’s what I’ve been told,” Castiel told her, his brow furrowed as he stared down at the bathroom floor. 

Now it was her turn to be confused, “Then give him back, if you’d give anything-” She tried to argue, not knowing how she could be expected to help both the angel and her brother. 

“I cannot do that, I am truly sorry, Alyssa,” He confessed, his gaze turning back towards hers, like he just realized something, “I can take you to him, if you’d like,” Castiel offered, taking a step closer to her, even though she was already crammed up against the sink. 

This was the best news she’d gotten all day, and without wasting another second Alyssa perked up, ready to go get Sam so they could be on their way, “Yes, that would be perfect,” She said, her mind already swimming with ways to get Dean out of having to torture, “Let me just go grab Sammy-” Alyssa said, starting around Castiel towards the door. 

He was quick to stop her by slinging one arm in front of her escape route and practically forcing her back into a corner, “Sam cannot come with us,” Castiel said, in a no nonsense tone, “I cannot disobey my orders, but for y- there are ways I can bend the rules, being bonded to you makes it easier sometimes,” He explained to her, stuttering a little bit. 

She frowned up at the taller angel, “Oh come off it, you can bring me but not our brother?” Alyssa demanded, not quite understanding how he could make these terms, “That crazy,” And once more she tried to push past him to get to the doors but in the next second she found herself being pulled backwards by the angel and then her feet were landing on the ground once more, not in the motel bathroom anymore. 

Looking around, she realized she was in a dark dingy room, pipes hanging low over their heads, gray walls surrounded them too, all in all, it looked like the perfect place to take a demon to get tortured. She didn’t realize Castiel’s hands were holding her by the waist until he let her go so she could turn to face him, “I thought we went over this, you weren’t just going to zap me without asking-” She began to berate him, until with a quick look over his shoulder she saw Alastair tied up and the back of her brother’s head as he stood over the demon’s battered body. 

“Dean-” She called, pushing past Castiel and running up towards the window, only to realize that the two of them couldn’t see her, let alone hear her. She spun back around on the angel, finding him much closer to her that he was a minute ago, “I want to see Dean,” She demanded. 

Castiel was watching Alastair from over Alyssa’s head, “You’re asking for too much, I’ve brought you to your brother,” He commented, turning back towards the youngest Winchester. 

Alyssa was about to respond but from behind her she heard a shout from the demon and then a loud groan, making her cringe, knowing that her brother was causing that. Castiel watched Alyssa’s reaction, his eyes scanning over her face as she attempted to ignore the noises from behind her, and when she looked up at him it looked like he was going to speak, but in the next second, the light bulb above their heads exploded, sending sparks flying everywhere. 

She was quick to duck, covering her head with her arms and moving to try to get away from the flying sparks. Castiel, on the other hand, didn’t move to shield himself, he looked up as the sparks rained down on him and quickly grabbed Alyssa, pulling her to him as he stopped the light from sparking. 

“Anna,” The angel growled, his grip on Alyssa tightening as she realized that the sparks had been stopped. 

“Hello Castiel,” Alyssa heard the newly winged angel say from behind the two of them. 

She peaked over Castiel’s shoulder to see the red-head staring at Cas’ back. He released Alyssa quickly, turning to face Anna finally, “Your human body-” He commented, shooting her a confused look. 

With his back turned to her, Alyssa couldn’t help but to look back towards her brother, where he was busy cleaning a shining silver knife while the tied up demon in front of him continued to scream. From behind her, she could hear Castiel and Anna talking and she silently thanked Anna for the distraction, so she had a free second to try to figure out how to get Dean out of there! 

There was a door, she spotted it, in the dark corner of the room and without wasting a second more, she ran towards it, attempting to throw it open and tell Dean that she was here and they could leave, but it wasn’t budging, no matter how hard she tried to open it up. Glancing backwards, Castiel’s focus was still on Anna, which gave Alyssa more time to think of something to do. 

There was a small table in the room, right behind Castiel, and it was covered with tools, most likely tools that Dean chose to leave behind when he chose to torture Alastair. Her gaze focused on Castiel’s back once more as the conversation between him and Anna began to escalate, which made it the perfect time for her to sneak up and grab a thick wooden bat from the table, careful not to make any noise, but at the same time she could’ve sworn she saw Anna’s eyes flicker towards her, thankfully not drawing Castiel’s attention to her. 

Before Alyssa could turn back towards the window where Dean was, she saw Cas’ back tense up, “I am nothing like you,” He growled, sounding more upset than she’d ever heard him sound before, “You fell, go!” He accused, staring straight at her. 

Alyssa realized this was her last chance to bust Dean out of there, without wasting another second, after hearing Cas repeat his warning one more time to Anna, Alyssa ran towards the window and in a split second, she threw her arms up and let the bat come falling down on the glass. 

The glass cracked beneath the bat and Castiel spun around to see what she was doing, and before she could bring the bat down on the glass again, it had disappeared from her grasp, causing her to whack her hands against the window as she fell forward, confused from the loss of the bat. “Shit!” She cursed, looking down at her hands and realizing they were bloodied from the already cracking glass. 

Looking up through the window, she saw Dean staring back towards her, but his eyes were unfocused as they darted back and forth, like he didn’t know what he was looking for, before he turned back to Alastair. Alyssa, when she realized he couldn’t see her, quickly got back to work on her hands, trying to bind one of them up in the bottom of her shirt so she could stop the bleeding, but before she even had a chance to wrap up her knuckles she was being spun around and the familiar feeling of warmth passed over her, completely healing her knuckles and cleaning the blood off of her hands. 

“I am sorry about that,” Castiel said, his hand still on her shoulder, “It was not my intention to harm you.” 

Alyssa was quick to shake his hand off her shoulder as she stepped up to stair him down, now that she wasn’t worried about her bloody knuckles anymore, “You need to stop Dean, now!” She demanded, listening to Alastair scream in pain once more, “He can’t go through this again Cas, this is literally his hell on Earth!” She was quick to argue. 

Castiel wasn’t one to back down though, “He is the only one who can get Alastair to talk, he knows what he needs to do, we  _ need _ to figure out who is killing angels!” He enforced. 

From behind her she could hear Alastair gargling his own blood as he screamed out in pain, causing her to cringe, “Do you hear what Dean’s doing to him?” She demanded, pointing back towards the window, where the demon continued to make horrible noises, “Cas, you can’t let him do this, it’s destroying him!” She argued, finding herself get more and more upset. 

The angel looked confused, but not because of what she was saying, because from behind them, there was no more screaming coming from Alastair, there was only complete silence. Alyssa realized shortly after Castiel did that there was no more screaming, and she spun around to see Alastair free of his bonds, throwing Dean around like a punching bag. Her eyes shot back towards Cas, only to find that he was no longer standing there, and when she looked back at Dean and Alastair, she found the angel fighting with the demon. 

Immediately she ran back towards the door, throwing her entire body weight against it until she forced it open, catching Alastair’s attention from where he was holding Castiel’s body up against the wall, choking him. “Look who decided to join us boys,” The demon grinned as Alyssa grabbed the salt Dean was using and threw it towards the demon, causing him to let out a shout and giving her enough time to grab Ruby’s knife. 

Alyssa raised her hand to plunge it into his body, but he recovered faster than she thought he would, and quickly raised his hand towards her, causing her to fly backwards into wall farthest away from Castiel and her passed out brother. She let out a small scream when she hit the wall, hearing a bone snap, but she couldn’t figure out which one it was. 

She watched, unable to move from her spot where she was slumped against the wall as Castiel pushed himself off the ground and threw himself at Alastair once more, squeezing his hands around the demon’s neck, but Alastair was quick to throw a punch to Cas’ gut, pushing him back up against the wall in a split second before he began to chant in latin. Alyssa wanted to protest, she realized what was going on, Castiel was going to be sent back to heaven, and then they’d be left alone with Alastair! 

Just as she thought she had enough energy to push herself up and try to stab him with the knife again, the door next to her burst open again and in her sight came a pair of familiar long legs, running in the room and without even touching him, the demon was slammed up against the wall. Alyssa could hear Sam trying to get information out of the demon, but at that point she couldn’t seem to care any longer, her eyes slipped shut before she could even try to stop herself from passing out, and in the next second, she was unconscious, leaving Sam to deal with Alastair by himself. 

()()()()()()

Alyssa woke up to the feeling of someone pulling her up against their body, so she was sitting up, her eyes felt heavy and she didn’t want to open them just yet. Whoever she was leaning against felt very warm against her though, as they brushed her hair back away from her face, and she sighed, reveling in the feeling for once. The person holding her let their hand trail down one of her arms, only stopping when her body twitched from the pain she felt in her wrist. That must’ve been the bone that the demon broke, but she didn’t want to deal with it at the moment, she just wanted to be comfortable. 

Her comfort didn’t last too long though, in the next second she felt the person lift up her wrist and almost immediately she was drowning in warmth, waking her up as fast as she passed out before. Her eyes flickered open faster than she thought possible now that her mind wasn't cloudy with sleep anymore, and she jerked awake to see the familiar tan coated angel much too close to her... Or maybe she was much too close to him! 

Alyssa was quick to realize that she was laying down across the angels lap, her head resting right on his thighs! “Oh my God,” she muttered, jumping to her feet as quickly as possible, “I'm sorry!” Her face was red in embarrassment and she made a point not to look towards Castiel as she made sure she was alright. 

As Cas climbed to his feet, Alyssa was quick to notice Sam hunched over an unmoving Dean and she immediately ran towards her brother's side. “Is he breathing, is he okay?” Alyssa demanded, watching as Sam attempted to patch their brother up best he could. 

Castiel was watching the siblings as they doted over their brother and before any of the siblings could see what he was doing the angel had reached down and touched Sam and Alyssa on the shoulders, zapping both of them and Dean straight to the nearest hospital. 

Taking a minute to be confused the siblings both noticed what the angel had done and without another look back Sam dragged his brother's body straight into the emergency room. Dean was helped very quickly to Alyssa's delight and soon enough her and Sam were allowed to cost his hospital room where he was not in the best condition she'd ever seen her brother in. 

It wasn't long before Castiel joined the two of them by Dean's beside. “I'm sorry,” the angel offered looking towards Alyssa's side. 

“Get over here and heal him, miracle! Now.” Sam demanded barely letting the angel talk.

Alyssa flared up at him, confused as to why he didn't heal Dean straight away instead of sending them to the hospital. “I can't,” The angel confessed, looking down. 

Sam looked very upset “You and Uriel put him in there-” he began, only pausing for a moment when Castiel moved to defend himself before continuing his onslaught, “Because you can't keep a simple devil's trap together!” He seethed. 

Alyssa noticed the Angel's downtrodden look, “I don't know what happened,” He confessed, looking very confused, “That trap… It shouldn't have broken. I am sorry,” He repeated. 

“Cas,” Alyssa spoke up before Sam could, “I don't think it's demons that are killing angels, you heard them, Dean would've gotten Alastair to talk,” She breathed, realizing that the angel might've had something more dangerous than demons on his hands, which made her scared for him. 

His eyes shot towards her, noticing the shiver than wracked through her, “Perhaps Alastair was lying…” He began.

“No, he wasn't,” Sam grit out.

Alyssa watched as Castiel gazed down at the floor, looking like he'd been punched in the face, she'd never seen him look more lost, “So you can't heal him?” She asked, almost tenderly after a few moments of silence. 

Cas finally looked at her, shaking his head, his hair falling over his forehead, “I cannot, I need to reserve my Grace right now,” He explained, “I must go,” He said and a second later all Alyssa heard was a fluttering of wings and then he was gone, leaving her and Sam alone hoping Dean would be able to recover in full. 

()()()()()()

Alyssa and Sam decided to spend the night in the hospital waiting room, a night they were all too used to doing. 

The two siblings fell asleep on each other, her head resting on his broad shoulder and his resting on her head, as the two of them finally let themselves get a little bit of rest. 

When Alyssa woke up it took her no time at all to realize that Sam had left her by herself, most likely to go check on Dean, but she couldn't be sure. The waiting room was mostly empty except for her and two other people seated together in the far side of the room talking in hushed voices. 

She stretched out her legs, running her hands through her hair in an attempt to wake herself up and when she opened her eyes again she jumped, startled to see the familiar blue eyed angel sitting next to her in one of the waiting room chairs. “Oh jeez,” she breathed, one hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath, “You've got to stop sneaking up on me,” Alyssa accused. 

Castiel furrowed his brow, “Are you alright?” He asked, his fingers twitching in anticipation. 

“Yeah yeah I'm fine,” She assured him, not wanting him to use up his grace or whatever he was talking about before, “Just a little startled. What's up?” She asked

“You told me I could talk to you if I ever need to…” He began, looking anywhere but at her, “I'm… Considering disobedience, for the first time I'm feeling,” The angel confessed hesitantly, “I don't know what to do.” 

Alyssa hesitated, she wasn't quite sure how to talk to an angel about feelings, especially if he'd never experienced them before and God knows how long he's been alive! “I don't think that's a bad thing Cas,” She offered, her hand coming up to gingerly rest on his shoulder, causing his eyes to finally shoot over towards hers, “I think you should be allowed to express yourself and choose your own path.” 

He sighed shaking his head slightly, “It's not that easy, if my superiors find out…” Castiel trailed off, clearly not wanting to talk about what might happen to him. 

She shifted around in her chair, still not clear on what the angel was looking to gain by talking to her, but she was willing to at least  _ try _ to help him, “You don’t have to let anyone know though,” Alyssa tried to reason, “I mean, you can at least keep that from your… superiors, and save the emotions for people you trust, are there any angels you trust?” She asked, hesitantly. 

Castiel shook his head, looking down at his feet, “No,” He confessed, “It is rare that an angel will disobey- I… I don’t know who to go to,” Cas muttered, his eyes darting up to meet hers.

Alyssa felt her heart ache for the angel, he looked so lost and sad, so without thinking, she reached out her hand to grab his much larger one, holding it against his thigh, “I don’t know what to say then-” She mumbled, giving his hand a light squeeze, “I mean, Sam, Dean, and I are here for you, I think we’d prefer it if you showed emotions,” Alyssa said with an airy laugh. 

She could’ve sworn she saw a hint of a smile grace his face before it was gone in the next instant, “I would like that, thank you,” He offered, squeezing her hand in response as he stared straight at her with his deep blue eyes. 

Immediately feeling like the angel was getting too close to her, Alyssa cleared her throat and pulled her hand away from him, with mild resistance on his part, “Yeah, anytime,” She muttered, turning her gaze away from him again. 

From the silence between the two of them, she suddenly got an idea, “What about Anna?” She perked up, casting a curious glance towards Cas, “She fell didn’t she? Maybe she can help you out.” 

Castiel frowned, “I- I didn’t think of her, perhaps she _ would  _ know what to do…” He stuttered, sounding almost like he didn’t want to confide in the fallen angel, “I will see if I can find her,” He told her. 

In the next second, she heard the doors to the waiting room swing open and Sam ran through the opening, “He’s up,” He announced to Alyssa, and she turned her head to the side to see that Castiel was gone, hopefully to go speak to Anna. 

“What are we waiting for then?” She asked, following her taller brother straight into Dean’s hospital room. 

He looked as bad as he did the last time she was in his room, but at least this time he was awake! “How are you feeling?” Alyssa asked, running up to him and sitting down on the side of his bed. 

Dean cocked a half smile, looking like it pained him to do so, “Like hell,” He coughed, his voice coming out scratchy, but at least he was talking! 

“The doctors said that they need to keep you here for a couple days,” Sam announced, catching Dean’s attention, “They just need to make sure you’re breathing alright and no long lasting damage is done,” He told him. 

Dean frowned, turning his gaze back to Alyssa, “Why can’t Cas come down here and use some of his angel mojo on me?” He asked, perplexed. 

Alyssa realized Sam didn’t care to say too much about the angel, so it was up to her, “He said that he can’t, and he didn’t really care to explain why…” She trailed off, not knowing how Dean was going to react to the news. 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Her older brother ground out, coughing a little bit as he did so. 

She nodded in agreement, “You’re telling me,” Alyssa muttered, “All we can do now is wait and see what happens,” She finished, hoping that he would be alright somehow. 

()()()()()()

The next day, Alyssa and Sam decided to leave the hospital for a little bit to get some things done. Alyssa was sent to go get some ‘real food’ in Dean’s words, for him to scarf down in place of what he was getting served at the hospital, while Sam went to find a motel room for him and Alyssa, since they were getting tired of spending all their time trying to sleep in the waiting room. 

She grabbed Dean a burger and fries from the nearest fast food place she could find, and made sure to sneak herself some of his fries before she could get back to his room. Alyssa was quick to reach his door, but as soon as she reached to push the slightly cracked door open, it slammed shut, closing her out. She would’ve reacted much faster in trying to open the hospital room if it wasn’t for a strong hand on her shoulder holding her back. 

“It was Uriel,” A voice came from behind her. 

Alyssa spun around, her hair flaring out slightly as she did so, “Cas?” She gasped, scrambling to keep Dean’s food in her grip before she could drop it on the ground. 

The angel lifted up his hand for a moment while she spun around and let it land on the bag of fast food, making it disappear into thin air before Alyssa’s very eyes, “I found Anna,” Castiel continued, making Alyssa even more confused as to what was going on with the angel. 

“What are you talking about?” She asked, hoping she’d get a clear answer from him. 

“Uriel was killing angels,” He told her, looking down at the ground, “He asked me to join him,” Castiel confessed, bringing his gaze up to meet Alyssa’s again. 

A male nurse rushed by the pair, slightly brushing against the pair as he squeezed through the narrow hallway, causing Alyssa to stumble slightly before looking towards Cas again, who wasn’t affected by the nurse at all. “Maybe we should talk somewhere a little more private,” She offered, her hand reaching for Dean’s door handle, ready to pull Castiel into the room with her so the three of them could have a conversation about whatever he was talking about. 

Since Castiel made a point of pulling Dean out of hell, and the angel seemed to like to go to Dean to talk to him about his problems almost as much as he liked to talk to Alyssa, she figured that he wouldn’t mind her oldest brother being involved in their discussion. Apparently she was wrong though, “Let’s go,” Castiel said, and just as she looked up from the door she was just about to open, she saw his large hand covering her entire view and in the next second she was falling backwards onto her rear end right in the back of the impala. 

“HOly sh-” Alyssa began to curse at the feeling of falling backwards, but stopped when she realized what happened. She was quick to catch her breath and move her legs away from where they were pressed up against Castiel’s where he was sitting cramped next to her in the backseat of the car, “Cas, I thought we were finally on the same page about this…” She trailed off, running her hand through her hair, she wondered if she’d ever get used to the feeling of being zapped somewhere by the angel. 

He looked confused as he shifted around in the backseat so he was more comfortable, “I thought you said you wanted to talk somewhere more private?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. 

Alyssa sighed, she wasn’t in the mood to argue with the angel at the moment, and clearly he had more important things on his mind to talk to her about. “Right, okay, so… It’s Uriel who is killing the angels?” She repeated, finding herself more confused than when they didn’t know who was killing the angels. 

He nodded, “He was, yes,” Castiel told her, “Uriel was the one who released Alastair before, he wanted him to kill Dean and then I was supposed to continue to go around killing more demons. Uriel believed that the angels needed to be converted, and he wanted me to join him in his disobedience, in order to raise Lucifer,” He continued, looking up to gauge Alyssa’s reaction. 

She opened and closed her mouth several times, not knowing quite how to respond to him, but thankfully, he continued to tell his story, “Lucifer believed that angels shouldn’t bow to humans like our father wanted, Uriel wanted to raise him and help bring on the apocalypse. He was trying to get my garrison to join him and he was killing all the angels who weren’t agreeing with him. When he tried to get me to join, I said no, and Uriel tried to kill me, he would’ve if Anna hadn’t shown up and killed Uriel first,” Castiel finished his hands awkwardly fidgeting with themselves. 

Alyssa felt her hand reach out to grab his before she knew what was happening, in the past coming weeks she’d realized that she felt a pull towards him most times and apparently right now she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out towards him. “I’m sorry Castiel,” She began, despite how often he seemed to come to her for some comfort, she still wasn’t quite sure how to talk to him, “I don’t really know what to say… Do you- Is there a lot of angels in your garrison that Uriel got to join him?” She asked after a moment of hesitation. 

Castiel let his hands encase hers, “There is no way to tell, hopefully he didn’t get any of them to join, but I can’t be sure,” Cas confessed with a sigh. 

“I am glad you didn’t join him, Cas,” Alyssa confessed, giving his hand a little squeeze, hoping to comfort him any way she possibly could, “You’re doing the right thing,” She offered. 

He sighed through his nose, looking down at the floor of the car, “I know I am,” Castiel said after a moment of hesitation, “And for the first time in a long time I am really unafraid. I need to end what Uriel started, his followers need to be taken down, immediately,” He told her, suddenly turning less somber and very serious. “I need to leave now Alyssa, I am going to find his followers.” 

Alyssa released his hands as he started to pull away, “Okay, good luck Cas,” She offered, expecting him to have already disappeared from the impala. 

The angel nodded, “Thank you,” He said, with a small smile in her direction, “I will come back for you soon,” Castiel said and in the next second he disappeared, leaving Alyssa in the back of Dean’s car all by herself. 

She was confused, he was always cryptic, but when he left her with promises like that she was left  _ more  _ than confused! With a sigh, Alyssa left the Impala to go make sure Dean got his fast food, hopefully Castiel poofed her bag into his room, but she never knew what the angel was going to do. 

Alyssa rolled her eyes, thinking about all of the strange things that the angel had brought into their lives since he first appeared to Dean, frankly, she wasn’t sure how she felt about him, but she was sure that he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. 


	4. Chapter 4

Alyssa nearly fell off the couch when she was jolted awake from a quick shove from Dean, “Get up,” He announced, quickly marching over to Sam’s bed to wake him up too, “We’ve gotta get going,” Her older brother instructed, throwing some of his clothes into a beat up duffel.

She rolled off the couch, more than exhausted, and since Dean didn’t tell them anything about an immediate threat, she decided that she could take her time this morning, instead of letting Dean rush them out of their room. “Why are you in such a rush this morning?” She asked, running a hand through her messy hair before tying it up in a messy bun.

He barely spared her a second glance as he zipped up the bag, shoving Sam once more, since he hadn’t bothered getting up since Dean tried the first time, “It’s Cas, he sounded like he’s in trouble, he wants us to meet him… here-” He told his siblings, pulling out the piece of white paper out of his jacket pocket, and opening it up to show it to Alyssa.

She frowned, reading the address, confused as to what Dean was talking about, but hoping that Castiel was okay… “When was Cas here?” Alyssa asked, expecting the angel to appear at any moment.

Sam had finally perked up and gotten himself out of his bed, stretching as he did so, “Yeah, or did he zap you out of here again?” He said with a small groan, as he changed his shirts, throwing the dirty one into his bag.

Dean shook his head, pushing Alyssa towards her own small pile of belongings, urging her to get ready, “Nah, I was dreaming- Look he just sounded like he needed help alright! He said he needed to tell me something, and with everything going on, I just thought we should figure out what he needed to tell us right away-” He explained, cutting himself off as he shut himself in the bathroom.

Alyssa couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous for Castiel, Dean did sound pretty nervous about the angel, and she really didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. As quickly as she possibly could, she threw her clothes into her bag and ran into the bathroom as soon as Dean was out, and soon enough the three of them were piling into the impala, finding their way to Cas’ address.

As soon as the siblings got into the car, Alyssa was quick to get comfortable in the backseat, and before she knew what was happening, she had fallen fast asleep.

The next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of a dark warehouse, the lights flickering as she tried to figure out where she was. Alyssa took a couple of steps further into the warehouse, looking around the area to see if she was alone or not.

Suddenly, the lights above her head started to spark harshly and a second later she was being pulled backwards away from the sparks. She let out a quick shout of alarm before breaking out of the person’s grip and shoving awkwardly against their chest.

Just as she recognized who it was, Alyssa’s arms were grabbed tightly and she was pulled closely to the person she just tried to push away as they hushed her as quickly as possible. “Alyssa,” Castiel’s familiar raspy voice hissed in her ear, “Be quiet, I don’t have much time,” He warned, letting go of her arms so she could turn around and finally see him.

He looked worse for wear, his hair was all over the place, his tie loose, his coat nearly falling off his shoulders, and his blue eyes wide and wild, “Hey, what’s going on?” She asked, her hands instinctively coming up to fix his jacket and tie while they stood too close to each other.

Castiel’s eyes locked on her hands as they fixed him up, but he was quick to keep talking as she attempted to fix him up, “You need to wake up, get out of here, if they find out about our bond I fear they will try to end it,” He warned.

Alyssa stopped trying to fix him up and focused on his face now, “What do you mean, aren’t I dreaming?” She asked, feeling as confused as she normally did around the angel.

He sighed, his eyes darting around the area quickly before coming back to her face, “Not exactly… It’s different. When I come to Dean in his dreams, I have to call him to me, he cannot call me. You, much in the same way you can project your thoughts to me, right now you are projecting yourself to where I am,” He was quick to explain, “That’s why you need to leave.”

She frowned, still not quite understanding what he was trying to get across to her, “Who’s coming? If they can end our… bond, isn’t that what we want?” Alyssa questioned, not wanting Cas to push her away yet.

He cocked an eyebrow as he stared down at her, “...Not like this, if they see you here and figure out that we have a bond it will be ended very painfully for you,” He explained, his gaze not wavering.

Alyssa nodded, “Alright, uh, I don’t want that… How do I wake up?” She asked, and before she knew what was going on the lights started to spark again and there was a loud crack of thunder that rang through the building and the lights started sparking again.

“Goodbye,” Castiel had to speak up to be heard above the thunderous noise, and before Alyssa could even turn around to see what was causing all the commotion, Castiel raised a hand and next she knew she was jolting upright in the backseat of the impala where they were speeding down a deserted highway.

Looking around the impala, to make sure she was actually awake, she noticed Sam dozing off as Dean turned up his music a little bit, “Um… Dean?” She asked after a moment of making sure she knew where she really was.

He turned his head to the side and spared her a quick glance before bringing his gaze back to the road, “Good Morning Sleeping Beauty,” He teased.

“Yeah, whatever you ass,” She teased back, “How close are we to the address?”

He shrugged, turning down the radio a little bit more, looking back towards her once more, “I dunno, maybe another ten or so? What’s got you so worked up? Earlier you looked like you wanted to just go back to bed,” He snorted, shifting around in his seat for a second.

“I… I think he’s in more trouble than he let on- I was dreaming I guess… Can we just try to get there a little faster?” Alyssa managed to get out, suddenly feeling very faint.

Dean nodded and next thing she knew the impala was going at least ten miles faster than before, which she was very thankful for just as she felt herself slump backwards in her seat, not being able to prop herself up any longer. She was thankful she told Dean to speed up before she was able to tell him to pull over so they could figure out what was wrong with her, she knew the angel needed their help, with whatever was going on…

But her sudden exhaustion worried her too, she couldn’t think of what was causing it, since over the years she’d gotten so used to running off less than four hours of sleep, and with the nap in the car she’d easily gotten more than that! Just as she let her head fall against the window she started to hear Castiel’s voice again, and she quickly came to the conclusion that her fatigue was due to whatever was going on with him.

And since she could only hear his side of the conversation, she wasn’t too sure what was going on!

 _“This cannot happen, we are supposed to stop-”_ Alyssa was gathering bits and pieces of what Cas was arguing about, but she wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about or who he was talking to! _“-our job!... Our orders!... Help humans as God’s greatest creation!”_ She heard him continue to argue.

Alyssa started to close her eyes, but just as she did, she heard a loud, screeching sound and then there was complete silence. She shot up out of her seat, feeling energized again, just as Dean pulled up next to an old warehouse, and immediately she started to get out of the car.

“Woah, wait up!” Sam called, grabbing Alyssa by the shoulders before she could run towards the warehouse, “We’re not just going to rush in there,” He scolded, pulling her back towards the impala before passing her a gun and a flashlight.

She sighed as she tucked the gun into her pants and turned on the flashlight, getting impatient as she watched her brothers grab their own flashlights before heading into the building.

As soon as she stepped into the warehouse she knew Castiel wasn’t there, she just had a gut feeling, it was dark in the entrance and soon enough the siblings found their way to a staircase. Immediately when the ascended the stairs, Alyssa recognized the warehouse, she was _just_ there in the strange dream that she shared with Cas, but it looked different now.

“What the hell?” Dean asked, his light moving quickly around the open space.

“Looks like a bomb went off,” Sam added as he walked over towards a large pile of rubble.

Alyssa knew something was wrong as soon as they’d stepped into the building, but when her light landed upon a bloody sigil painted on the wall, she knew it was worse than she thought. “Hey guys?” She called, catching her brother’s attention, “Isn’t this what Anna used before, to send the angels away?” She asked.

Sam nodded, “Yeah… So what? Was Cas fighting angels?” He asked, looking for more signs of a fight.

She walked away from the bloody wall, feeling more and more uneasy, but when her eyes landed on Castiel’s body propped awkwardly on top of some of the rubble, she immediately dropped her light and ran towards him.

“Cas!” Alyssa exclaimed, as she fell on her knees next to him and grabbed his wrist, looking for a pulse, only momentarily wondering if he would have a pulse.

He started to stir as her brothers came running over, “What’s going on?” Cas murmured, his blue eyes fluttering open.

Alyssa shifted to help him start to sit up, “Take it easy,” She offered, noticing how unfocused his eyes looked as he gave each sibling an odd look.

The man let out a groan as Sam offered to help him to his feet, “Cas, you okay?” He asked, grabbing onto Cas’ hand and pulling him upwards.

He rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, brushing himself off, “Ugh, Castiel,” He groaned, “I’m not Castiel, it’s me,” He announced, holding out his arms before dropping them back to his side.

“Who’s me?” Sam questioned, the three siblings sharing looks of confusion.

“My name’s Jimmy,” He told them, running a hand through his hair.

“Where the hell is Castiel?” Dean asked.

The man- Jimmy, shrugged, “He’s gone,” He told him.

* * *

 

The three of them agreed to take Jimmy back to their motel room for the time being so he could get some food and maybe give them some clues to where Cas might’ve been. They stopped at the nearest fast  food restaurant and grabbed some food, Alyssa declined a meal, not feeling very hungry at the moment though. Once they reached the motel room and her brothers had Jimmy eating and sitting down at their table, she locked herself in the bathroom just to get a moment to think.

She tried to call out to the angel in her head, hoping he’d somehow hear her, but he was silent, she wasn’t getting any sort of a response from him. For some reason she knew he wasn’t dead… which did initially scare her since they found out angels could die about a week ago, but it was strange because he’d never ignored her before… unless he wasn’t ignoring her on purpose? After several more minutes, she decided to head back outside to see if Jimmy could tell them anything.

When she got back outside, she could tell Sam and Dean had been questioning Jimmy for a couple of minutes, and she was happy to listen in on the conversation, “Cas said he wanted to tell us something,” Sam began, his arms crossed over his chest, “Please tell me you remember that.”

Alyssa watched as Jimmy continued to scarf down his food, “Sorry,” He shrugged again, seeming very passive to the whole situation, which was a little surprising to Alyssa.

“Come on, what do you know?” Dean asked, and Alyssa could tell he was growing tired with the conversation.

Jimmy let out a sigh, putting down his burger, “My name is Jimmy Novak. I’m from Pontiac, Illinois. I have a family,” He began, “I’m telling you, I don’t remember much, if I did I’d tell you guys,” He confessed.

Alyssa realized how tired she was once more, and before her brothers could notice her fatigue, she sat down next to Jimmy, picking at some of the fries from the big bag of food they’d bought earlier, “How long has it been?” She asked, looking into his familiar blue eyes.

He shrugged, “I couldn’t tell you, when Castiel was here… I can’t remember any time passing, but it felt like years…” Jimmy trailed off and Alyssa noticed out of the corner of her eye her brothers were talking in hushed voices, so she decided to try and keep him talking in the meantime.

“I’m sorry,” She muttered, trying to comfort him in any way she could think, “I mean- I know you had to ask for this but I’m sure it wasn’t what you thought it would be. In the time we’ve known angels, we found out they’re not quite what we expected, but if it helps Castiel came into our lives about a year ago,” Alyssa said, attempting to get him to want to talk to her.

Jimmy scoffed as he dug into his meal, shoving some more fries into his mouth, “You’re telling me… I mean I can’t remember anything from the past year, I guess… But there’s a few things, I know who you three are at least,” He said, shoving food in his mouth throughout the entire encounter.

She frowned, “So that must mean he thinks about us a lot?” She asked, trying to understand what he could’ve meant by that…

The man still wasn’t quite looking at her though, more focused on his food than anything, “It’s not really like that. ‘The Winchesters’ though, that name was constant, ‘Alyssa,’ too,” He nodded towards her, “It was like your presence was there the entire time or something,” Jimmy tried to explain with a small shrug, like it was no big deal.

She was about to respond, but before she could, her brothers had rejoined them, both of them looking pretty grim, and she had a bad feeling about what they had decided, “Jimmy,” Sam sighed, crossing his arms over his chest, “We need to talk…” Sam began.

Jimmy grinned, looking up at the two taller men, his eyes shifting back towards Alyssa very briefly before landing on Sam again, “Yeah of course, I can’t talk for that long though- I mean I’m going to get back to my family as soon as I can,” He said, shoving his garbage into the fast food bag.

“About that-” Sam sighed, sounding very solemn, which Jimmy immediately picked up on, “We can’t let you go anywhere-” He said, and before he could even explain why, Jimmy had started laughing.

“Alright, I know _I_ should be the crazy one after being possessed by an angel for so long… but that’s crazy, you’re joking,” He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

The three siblings shared a quick look and Alyssa was quick to set a hand on the man’s shoulder, hoping to comfort him in some way, noticing immediately that he didn’t _feel_ the same way that Cas did…

Jimmy froze under her touch, immediately stiffening, “It’s not a joke, Jimmy,” She said after a moment of silence throughout the motel room.

He scoffed once more, brushing her hand off of his shoulder and standing up abruptly, his march towards the door only being stopped by Sam stepping directly in his path, “We can’t let you leave,” Her brother told him.

“I need to see my family-” He argued, before being shot down once more.

“Well here’s something you don’t understand, buddy,” Dean spoke up, his previously silent demeanor being stopped by Jimmy’s desire to leave the siblings, “If we were out there looking for you, there’s going to be others; angels and demons, and who knows what else, your best bet right now is to stay with us. You’re an empty vessel to them, and they’re not going to believe as easily that you don’t remember anything as we were willing to, so suck it up and sit back down!” He ordered, in a very no nonsense tone, and Alyssa couldn’t help but to be reminded of John.

Jimmy turned around, looking between the three of them, his eyes darting towards the door, “Look, I’m done okay?” He said, “With demons, angels, all of it. I just want to go home!”

Alyssa took a step towards him, “We understand,” She offered, but he wasn’t listening.

“I don’t think you do understand,” He shot back, glaring at her, “I’ve been shot and stabbed and healed, and my body has been dragged all over the Earth. And by some miracle, I’m out and I’m done, I’ve given enough,” He finished, once more starting towards the door.

Sam was quick to block his path again, “Look, all we’re saying is that until we figure this out, the safest place is with us,” He tried to explain, a little bit more humanely his time.

He paused for a minute, “How long?” 

Sam shrugged, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” He said, his voice dropping, “You’ll just be putting your family in danger if you leave now.”

Jimmy scoffed again, throwing his arms out, “So what now- I’m a prisoner?” He asked, turning to face Alyssa once more, who had grown quite throughout the encounter, suddenly feeling really bad for this man.

“Harsh way to put it,” Sam said as she stared at the man who she’d known to be Castiel.

* * *

 

Alyssa had taken the couch to try to get some rest that night, while Jimmy got one bed and Dean took another and Sam was left to watch the door for a while. She actually had a rather peaceful sleep until the dreams started to come to her.

She had found herself in a big open field, definitely a place she’d never seen before, there was miles and miles of grass farther than she could see, nothing else in sight, and before she knew what she was doing, she started to walk.

She felt like she’d walked for miles before anything started to happen. Noticing a small swarm of flowers by her feet she bent down to pick one small yellow one, but before she could touch it, she started to feel the wind around her pick up, her hair blowing all around her. She was forced to cover her face with her hands so she wouldn’t get any of the dirt in her face as it blew up all around her. It slowed down a moment later, and that was when she started to hear a voice.

At first the voice was very distant, she couldn’t make out what she was trying to hear, it was muffled, almost like there was a cover over her ears. Before she knew what she was doing, she straightened herself up and continued to walk, determined to try to find the source of the voice before it could have the chance to disappear again.

Like before, she was sure she had been walking for miles, but the farther she walked, the more clearly she could hear the voice she was trying to seek out. In the distance, she thought she could make out some new shapes, it wasn’t just flat ground anymore, but she couldn’t be sure. As she got even closer though, straining her eyes slightly, she could make out several figures, standing in the distance,  but they didn’t seem to notice her.

Which was probably a good thing.

Without knowing quite what she was doing, she felt herself start to walk a little bit faster to catch up to where the group of people were standing, even though it looked like she was miles away.

As she started to run, feeling more and more curious about what the figures were doing, she suddenly was frozen in place, unable to move. She was stopped so abruptly that she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” A voice could be heard from all around her, but the figures in the distance didn’t seem to notice her appearance, nor the voice’s presence.

When she opened her mouth to speak, she quickly realized no sound was coming out, which should’ve made her nervous, but for some reason she was more at peace than she had previously felt. “You need to leave now, _I_ need to keep you safe,” The voice came once more. The voice wasn’t one that she could place, it was unfamiliar, but the feeling that overcame her when she heard it was like she was being wrapped up in a warm hug, one that she didn’t want to break away from.

She wanted to listen to whoever was speaking to her, she wanted to get out of there for their sake, and her own, but she didn’t quite know how to do that and without being able to speak, Alyssa was left frozen in place without knowing what to do.

“I wish I could explain this more to you, but you’ll figure it out soon enough, and I am sorry,” The voice came once more, and in the next instant, Alyssa found herself shooting upright and nearly falling off the small motel couch that she had previously been sound asleep on.

As soon as she’d opened her eyes she knew that it was Cas who was speaking to her in her dreams, she didn’t know why she couldn’t speak back though, and she wasn’t any closer to figuring out what had happened to him. Rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up, she started to be able to see in the dark, noticing Dean’s sleeping form on the far bed closest to the door, but the other bed, where Jimmy was supposed to be sleeping, was completely empty, and Sam was nowhere to be seen.

Immediately realizing something was amiss, Alyssa jumped to her feet and gave a little shout to Dean as she opened the motel door, “Dean, wake up!” She urged.

Thankfully, the siblings were all very light sleepers and Dean was quick to get up, with a little grumble as Alyssa threw open the door to come face to face with Sam, holding a can of soda. “Sam, where is he?” She asked, peaking over his shoulder in hopes of seeing a man clad in a tan trench coat.

Sam furrowed his brow, “Where’s who?” He asked, popping open his can of soda before taking a sip.

Dean had now gotten up and clearly realized what was going on, “Sam! Where the hell did he go?” He ground out, running a hand through his already messed up hair.

“Jimmy?” Sam asked, “I- he’s not here?” He managed to get out, looking more than confused.

Alyssa, not wanting there to be any more tension between the two of them, pulled Sam by the shoulder, “Come on, let’s go look for them, Dean could you pack up in case he managed to get a ride?” She asked, managing to do her best at separating the two for the moment.

Her and Sam were quick to search the grounds for Jimmy, but there was no sign of him, and soon enough they were back at the hotel helping Dean pack up before they piled up into the Impala, ready to take off towards Jimmy’s home town in case they could catch him on the way.

The car ride was silent, which wasn’t a big surprise to Alyssa, especially since the tension between her brothers was very high at the moment, at least until Anna decided to pop up next to her in the backseat of the Impala, “Hey guys,” She announced, causing Dean to jerk his head around and send the car swerving a little bit before he realized what was going on, “Smooth,” The angel chuckled.

Alyssa was the fastest to realize it was Anna and caught her breath almost immediately after the surprise, “You ever try calling ahead?” She asked, a little impatiently after all that had been happening in the last couple of hours.

Anna shrugged, “I like the element of surprise,” She said with a small smile.

“Well you look great,” Dean bit back, his hands tightening around the steering wheel.

She frowned, now, “Um yeah, not the most appropriate time, you let Jimmy get away?” She asked, sending an accusatory look to each of the siblings.

Dean shot a glare towards Sam, “Talk to Ginormo here,” He told Anna.

There was silence in the car for another moment, “Sam,” She greeted, “You look different,” Alyssa couldn’t help but to notice how Sam’s shoulders tensed up as soon as Anna spoke, but he still sounded calm and collected despite the accusatory words.

“Me?” He asked, sounding surprised, “I don’t know, new haircut?” He said with a small chuckle.

Anna was still staring at him, “That’s not what I meant,” She finally decided to say before turning her gaze back to Dean, “What did Jimmy tell you, did he remember anything?” She asked, curiously.

“What’s going on?” Alyssa asked, not liking the way that Anna’s attention only was on Dean.

Finally she looked at the youngest Winchester, “It’s Cas,” She explained, “He got sent back home, well, more like dragged back.”

“Cas said he had something to tell me, something important,” Dean perked up.

Alyssa couldn’t help but to be very interested in what Cas might’ve had to say to Dean, and so did Anna, “What?” She asked before Alyssa could interrupt.

“I don’t know,” Dean sighed.

“Does Jimmy know?” The angel continued to push.

“I don’t think so,” He continued.

Anna rolled her eyes, “You don’t think so?” She accused, “Whatever it is, it’s huge! You gotta find out soon,” Anna argued.

“That’s why we’re going after Jimmy,” Sam perked up, sounding just as annoyed with Anna as Alyssa felt.

Her glare turned back towards Sam, “That’s why you shouldn’t have let him go in the first place. He’s probably already dead,” She announced before turning around to glance at Alyssa once more before disappearing from their car all at once.

“Well that was helpful,” Alyssa muttered, earning scoffs from both of her brothers before silence fell over their car once more.

* * *

 

“Hey, hey wake up, we’re here,” Alyssa could hear Sam calling to her, with a large hand on her knee to jostle her back to the world of the living.

She was quick to jerk herself up, and clamor out of the car, saddened to find out that she didn’t have any more dreams this time around.

“We gotta go, Dean’s already inside,” He announced, hardly waiting for Alyssa to follow him into the house.

She was quick to run after him, shortly after making sure that she had her gun on her, and as soon as she entered the room where the commotion was going on, she watched in shock as Sam slammed a demon up against the nearest wall with one quick motion. “Get them out of here,” He announced, looking back towards Dean.

Dean was quick to grab the woman and the girl by the shoulder and pushed them out of the room while Alyssa grabbed Jimmy, pushing him along with his family, before Dean passed Ruby’s knife to her, nodding back towards Sam, “Help him,” He announced, ushering the family out of the door.

“Awe,” Alyssa heard from behind her, “Can’t get it up, can you Sam?” The demon said in a patronizing tone.

She wasted no time in getting herself behind the demon, “No but I can,” Alyssa grinned before running the knife straight through the demon, sending it straight back to hell.

Alyssa quickly made sure her brother was alright before the two of them followed the Novak’s out of their house and towards the impala. Sam and Dean sat in their usual seats with Alyssa crammed in the back with the Novak family, which thankfully their daughter was still small enough to sit on her mother’s lap so there was no awkward encounters at the moment, and as soon as everyone was situated, Dean got out of there as quickly as he possibly could.

After an emotional moment for Jimmy, dropping his wife and daughter off at the nearest parking garage so Sam could hotwire them a car, the man himself had passed out in the back of the impala, looking more than exhausted.

She couldn’t help but to feel bad for the man, but at the same time, when he wasn’t talking, she couldn’t help but to be reminded of Cas- he _was_ Cas, it was just too confusing, but as fate would have it, they were heading back to the Novak’s faster than any of them would’ve liked.

She was nervous for the man, but she couldn’t tell if she was more nervous for him, or more nervous for Castiel’s fate, she didn’t know if they’d ever be able to see him again without his vessel… But that was crazy, of course this man’s safety was more important, angels had brought them nothing but trouble and maybe they could use some time to themselves and the supernatural creatures they knew how to handle.

As soon as they pulled up to the warehouse the demon had told them to show up to, Alyssa could notice Jimmy visibly shaking, “Alright,” Dean instructed, “They’re expecting you to come alone, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

“We’ll work our way through the catwalks and be right behind you,” Sam offered, in an attempt to be calming to the man, but Alyssa was able to see that it wasn’t quite working.

“All you have to do is stay calm and stall, and we’ll do our job,” She offered, wanting to extend a hand to him but figuring that he wouldn’t react well to it at the moment.

He still snapped, “You want me to stay calm? This is my family we’re talking about!” He spat out, looking distraught before he sighed through his nose and looked down at the ground, “Give me a minute okay?” Jimmy asked, getting out of the car and distancing himself from the siblings.

“There’s no way they’re expecting him to come alone, you know this has to be a trap,” Alyssa spoke up once Jimmy had shut the door.

Dean shrugged, “Yeah, I know, that’s why I have a plan,” He said with a condescending smirk.

The siblings got out of the car once they saw Jimmy come back into view, and with a sad wave towards them, he finally entered the warehouse, leaving them to follow after the man.

Despite Dean’s so called master plan, as soon as the three of them started out towards the warehouse, they were immediately ambushed and without even being able to put up much of a fight, they were being restrained and dragged into the warehouse.

“Nice plan Dean,” Sam muttered as Jimmy came into view, along with his wife and daughter.

The demon turned to face the siblings, “You know what’s funny?” She asked, giving each of them a quick look over, “I was actually bummed to get this detail, picking up an empty vessel, sort of like a milk run. Now look who landed in my lap,” She said with a grin.

“Yeah, you got us okay?” Sam frowned, “Let these people go!”

The demon’s head cocked, “Oh Sam, it’s easy to act so chivalrous when your wondergirl powers aren’t working? And now for the punchline, everyone dies!” She said with a grin.

Alyssa watched as Jimmy’s eyes widened and the demon raised her hand, and without wasting a second, shot him straight in the gut, sending him down on his knees clutching his stomach. “No!” Alyssa couldn’t help to shout, very happy to see that his daughter was still asleep though so she couldn’t see her father get shot right in front of her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Alyssa did the only thing she thought she could do, she tried to contact Castiel, _‘Please Castiel, please you need to help these people, you can’t let them die!’_ She thought, hoping that somehow he would be able to hear her, but instead, her eyes shot open to see the demon instruct her followers to kill his child, which he’d was still conscious for.

Struggling harder to get out of the demon’s grip, she watched in awe as the little girl’s eyes opened and she quickly shot to her feet, stopping the demon from hitting her with his crowbar and placing a hand on his head, exorcising him instantly.

“Castiel?” Alyssa breathed, finding herself very confused as the demon behind her released his grip on her slightly and just as the girl’s eyes shot towards her, she heard a growl from behind her, and as she turned around to see what was going on, she felt something wack her over the side of her head, sending her stumbling towards the ground, her vision fading in and out.

By her side, she felt one of her brothers jostling her by the shoulders and through her cloudy vision she was pretty sure she could make out Sam’s long hair, “I’m okay,” She mumbled, “Help them, come back to me later,” Alyssa managed to get out her vision starting to go spotty as she fought to remain conscious.

She couldn’t tell if it was hours or just minutes later but she could feel someone propping her up and trying to coax her awake, “Hey, hey you can do it, just stay awake for a little bit longer,” She recognized Dean’s voice and her eyes cracked open to see him holding her up in a sitting position.

“Are they okay?” She asked, letting him help her up to her feet as her vision started to clear.

Dean shot a pointed look towards Castiel and Jimmy, as Sam helped Amelia balance herself, and Alyssa finally noticed what was going on, “Please Castiel, me, just take me,” Jimmy pleaded, “Take me, please!” He coughed, still holding his wound.

“I wanna make you understand, you won’t age or die. If this last year was painful for you imagine a thousand more like it,” The angel warned.

Jimmy was more than desperate though, “It doesn’t matter, just take me,” He offered once more.

“As you wish,” Castiel offered before reaching his hand out towards Jimmy’s forehead and right before Alyssa’s eyes, a bright blue light surrounded the father and daughter before it was just the darkness of the warehouse once more. The girl fell to the ground and Jimmy’s wife immediately rushed over to her, helping her to her feet as Castiel stood up, staring down blankly at the duo.

Castiel glanced over at the siblings once before turning to leave, much to their confusion. “Cas, hold up!” Dean shouted, moving to catch up with him, once he was sure Alyssa could stand on her own, “What were you going to tell me?” He asked, and Alyssa slowly started to walk up behind Dean.

The angel turned to face her older brother, ignoring her gaze completely, “I learned my lesson while I was away Dean, I serve heaven, I don’t serve man, and I certainly don’t serve you,” He deadpanned, turning away once more.

Dean turned back to face Sam and Alyssa but before he could say anything she was walking forward following Castiel before he could leave once more, much to her brother’s confusion. Just as Castiel walked outside she caught up to him, giving the two of them some privacy.

“What is your problem?” She spat, ignoring how heavy her head felt at the moment and instead focusing on her anger towards him. Castiel, however, didn’t respond to her, but he stopped moving away from her and froze in place, “You disappear for days without telling us what’s wrong, you don’t tell anyone what’s going on, just that you needed to tell Dean something important, and they I see you looking like you’re in trouble and now there’s nothing?” She demanded, “I was worried about you!” Alyssa confessed, getting angrier and angrier the more she decided to confess to him.

Finally realizing how much her head was swimming, Alyssa reached over to the side of the building to balance herself, but before she could, she was being held up by familiar hands. Looking up, she could see Castiel’s familiar blue eyes staring down at her before his large hand covered her vision, curing her once more. “Why is it that _you_ are always getting yourself injured?” He asked after a moment, finally releasing her from his grip.

Realizing that the pain was no longer there, Alyssa straightened herself up and backed away from him, “I told you before, it’s not your job to make sure I’m okay, besides, didn’t you just say you were done serving mankind?” She couldn’t help but to yell, feeling her anger grow once more.

Still he wasn’t saying anything, and the conversation fell flat, “What happened to you?” She asked, after another moment of silence between the two of them, “I was scared for you.”

Castiel looked up at her again, his eyes narrowing towards her, “You’re the reason this happened, I am an angel, I don’t need you to be scared for me, and I don’t need anyone to tempt me away from my father, especially not a human,” He growled, taking a step towards her.

Alyssa backed up, matching his steps towards her, “You had me fooled, I can’t remember ever seeking you out, you made this your own problem, and now you have to deal with it!” She argued, despite being slightly afraid of what he might do.

“I did not ask for this!” He countered, still walking towards her, “I followed my orders and look where it got me,” Castiel said as he approached Alyssa faster, cornering her against the side of the building.

Just as she backed herself up against the warehouse wall, she closed her eyes, not wanting to deal with the anticipation of what might come from Castiel’s anger, but instead, he was silent. After another moment, Alyssa cracked her eyes open to see him staring at her, his brow furrowed in frustration perhaps?

“I would not hurt you, Alyssa,” He confessed after a moment, looking down at their feet, “I am sorry that you thought I would,” She perked up, still pressed up against the side of the warehouse, but at least he wasn’t being so cold anymore, “I can’t explain this to a human, it is not the same, angels are not meant to rebel, and I cannot be tempted any longer, I know this isn’t what you wanted, but I am sorry,” He decided.

She frowned, but straightened up, feeling a little bit more confident now that he wasn’t as intimidating, “I think you’re wrong,” She said, earning a scowl from the angel, but before he could interrupt, she continued, “I think you’re scared of what might happen to you if you do stray from your chosen path or whatever, but I really thought you could’ve been a friend, maybe I was wrong though… I can’t convince you to change your mind, but if you do, don’t expect to be welcomed back with opened arms,” She said, her eyes never wavering from his.

Castiel froze in place, he looked confused, but only for a second before he cleared the expression from his face once more, “I am sorry it has to be this way, but I have my orders,” He decided, and the next thing she knew, he was gone, leaving her out in the cold, by herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Locking Sam up in Bobby’s panic room was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do, seeing her brother look so panicked and distraught was the most heartbreaking sight she’d ever witnessed, and it hurt more than any injury she’d ever sustained, but it was something they had to do for his sake. Locking him up was nothing in comparison to letting him gouge himself on demon blood. 

She thought that the first day was going to be the worst with all of his pleading and screaming about how it wasn’t funny and how they needed to let him out of there because he was the only one who could stop Lilith, but it just got worse from there on out. The three of them, Dean, Bobby and herself, had taken to try drinking whiskey to drown out his noise, but even that wasn’t calming her down like it should’ve. 

After the first day, she was pretty sure Sam started to hallucinate. During the daytime she’d try to go down to talk to him and keep him company for a little while, but he would only shout at her forcing her to leave. She wanted more than anything to have a way to help him, but it looked like the only way was to give him more blood, so they just had to wait it out. By the third day she was tempted to pray to Castiel, but she was still more than a little upset at him for his actions from the past week and didn’t want to talk to him with something as important as this, besides, Sam wasn’t hurting himself, he was just going through rehab, something people go through all the time! 

Bobby had gotten a call from Rufus at one point too, telling him all about the seals that were being broken, and there was no signs of angels trying to do anything to stop them, the more time passed, the more it looked like Lucifer was going to be raised, and they had no clue how much more seals needed to be broken at this point. 

Bobby had even suggested using Sam’s freaky powers to help them deal with their demon problem, but Dean was quick to shut that down, which Alyssa gave him huge props for, considering the position that they were in. 

Getting nowhere with any of their ideas as to what to do about the apocalypse, the three of them realized how defeated they actually were at the moment. Alyssa was watching as Bobby flipped through the same lore book he’d been flipping through for the majority of the day, Dean had left to go outside a little while ago, and finally getting bored of watching Bobby, she decided to go see what he was up to. 

As she walked outside, she found herself staring at the back of a familiar tan coated angel, one that she had no desire to see at the moment, and she thought Dean had agreed, but clearly he’d grown desperate. 

She noticed Castiel straighten up, his head turning slightly, clearly he’d noticed her appearance, even though she hadn’t made herself known yet, “Hello Alyssa,” He greeted without turning around. 

Dean’s eyebrows shot up as he peered around Cas to see her walking towards the two of them before coming to Dean’s side. “What are you doing here?” Alyssa asked, finding herself staring down the angel once more. 

“I was just leaving,” He said, matter of fact, but he didn’t leave, he just stood there, staring at her. 

She crossed her arms over her chest, “Well?” She asked, shooting him another look. 

He still didn’t leave though, and Alyssa rolled her eyes, ready to leave him and hopefully get Dean to follow, but he managed to speak up, “Now that you are here though, I would like to speak with you,” He confessed, sounding as emotionless as ever. 

“What’s she got to do with anything?” Dean perked up before Alyssa could respond, sounding wary. 

Castiel frowned, “This is none of your concern, Dean, she is not involved,” He said, looking like he was trying to appease him, “Now I would like to speak to Alyssa in private.” 

“You really are a dick these days,” Dean muttered before giving his sister a pat on the shoulder and slipping away from the duo before Alyssa could even input her opinion in any way. 

“Alyssa I would like to apologize for how I spoke to you the other day, I did not mean to frighten you. But you must know that I have to follow my orders, I cannot disobey for the sake of humans-” He began, only for Alyssa to cut him off. 

“I understand that Castiel, but you could’ve just  _ told  _ us that instead of being a complete asshole about it, I told you we were worried, and Dean was clearly upset too,” She said, sternly, hoping that he could understand where she was coming from, “If you’re going to be around us, you’ll just have to try to be a little more accommodating, that’s all,” She explained. 

Castiel resigned, sighing though his nose before looking at her again, “I understand, it was not my intent to be an… asshat,” He confessed, nearly making Alyssa snort at how ridiculous he sounded. 

“Alright, I’m glad we’re on the same page…” She muttered, the two of them coming to an awkward silence. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was still something off about the angel, and he clearly wasn’t going to tell her, hopefully she’d be able to make him tell her, “What were you and Dean talking about?” She asked after another moment. 

The angel cocked his head at her, looking like he’d rather not say, “He was asking about Sam, he wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help him, I told him there was no known cure, Sam will just have to wait it out,” Cas explained. 

Alyssa nodded, maybe there wasn’t anything else going on between the angel and her brothers at the moment, she was probably just reading into things that weren’t there, “Alright, well it’s time for me to go check on Sam again, I like to give him some company for a little while during the day…” She trailed off, noticing Castiel had stiffened again. 

“Yes, I have to go as well, I’m being called back to heaven, I will come to you soon, Alyssa,” He said, “One more thing, before I leave you. This is not your fight, I will not let you put yourself in harm’s way for the sake of your siblings,” Cas said. 

She narrowed her eyes at him, very confused, because she thought the two of them had just made up, and here he was telling her what she can and can’t do, so with a small laugh, she decided he was just too protective of this strange bond they had, and he was trying to intimidate her into keeping out of hunting for a while, “Don’t worry, I’m going to be sticking with Sam until he’s feeling better, hunting’s going to take a backseat for a little while, okay?” She asked, hoping he wouldn’t make her upset at him again, not so soon anyways. 

He cocked his head to the side, “I know,” Cas said, cryptically, and before she could return the goodbye he had disappeared almost instantly, leaving her staring at blank space. 

With a sigh, she decided to head back inside to attempt to talk to Sam for a little while until he started to hallucinate again. Thankfully, when she went back inside, it was on the quiet side, other than Bobby and Dean’s conversation it was almost peaceful in the house…. Too peaceful?    


“You guys hear that?” She asked after another moment of the quiet, catching the attention of her brother and Bobby. 

Bobby’s head shot towards the basement door, “Yeah, that’s a little too much nothing,” He decided, and in the next second the three of them were running downstairs to see what was going on with Sam. 

As soon as Bobby opened the window to the panic room they could see Sam laying on his back seizing and jerking around as he laid there. Alyssa couldn’t speak from the sight, but thankfully, Bobby and Dean were there to try and figure out what was going on. “What if he’s faking?” Dean asked with a nod towards Sam. 

“You really think he would?” Countered Bobby. 

In the next second, by an invisible force, Sam’s body was flung up against the furthest wall in the panic room and he was being suspended above the ground, still seizing. Alyssa couldn’t help but let out a small shriek when this happened and in the next second they were all in the panic room, pinning Sam down on his small cot so he couldn’t get flung around the room anymore. Thankfully when they grabbed him it was easy to tie him down to the cot, his fit had stopped for the meantime, and afterwards, Alyssa immediately went upstairs to get herself a beer, it was much needed at this point in the day.  

While Bobby and Dean continued to sit around in the living room, Alyssa found herself venturing back downstairs to see if Sam was awake, maybe they’d be able to have a conversation for a few minutes without him hallucinating throughout the whole thing. However, when she got downstairs, it was more of the same thing, him just yelling at nothing and it didn’t take Alyssa long to figure out that his hallucinations featured Dean. She still tried to get through to him though, hoping that he’d somehow be able to hear her amidst his shouting. 

Suddenly, a familiar feeling washed over her, and she left the seat by Sam’s door to look through the window to see him looking around the room, clearly brought back to the present, but still he didn’t notice her yet. 

Just as she was about to try to talk to him, since this was the first time he’d calmed down since she’d woken up that morning, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Alyssa made way to spin around to see what was going on behind her, but before she could she was grabbed from behind with one strong arm around her waist and another clasped tightly over her mouth. 

Whoever was behind her pulled her backwards until she was underneath the stairs, and as soon as she was hidden in the shadows she felt herself freeze, her body completely out of her control. The hand over her mouth came down to rest where the other hand was around her waist, leaving Alyssa to realize she couldn’t speak now, either! Her fear from this strange situation only increased when the door to Bobby’s panic room slowly opened. 

Alyssa watched, helplessly, as her older brother slowly left the panic room, looking just as confused as Alyssa felt. She tried her hardest to get his attention, but it was impossible since she couldn’t move or speak, and soon she heard the door to the main floor of Bobby’s house open and close, signaling Sam’s exit. 

“I wish you weren’t down here for that,” Castiel’s familiar voice rang out from behind her, revealing himself to her. 

In the next instance, she felt his hands tighten around her body before the two of them appeared in a dining room setting that definitely wasn’t Bobby’s house anymore. As soon as her feet were back on the ground, she realized she was back in control of her body and voice, much to her pleasure, now if only she could figure out what was going on. 

“What… is going on? Was that real?” She stuttered, breaking out of his grip before spinning around to stare him down, feeling more than confused and a small part of her was hoping she was dreaming.

He shifted around on his feet, looking down at himself before his eyes locked with hers again, “I figured you would have questions,” He decided on after a moment. 

“You let Sam go?” Alyssa asked after a moment, deciding she couldn’t comprehend why he would do that. 

Cas nodded, “Yes,” He said after a moment of silence between the two of them. 

She was even more confused now if that were possible, she didn’t understand what was going on, why he would let Sam go when he knew what path he was going down, she just couldn’t comprehend why this was happening, and on top of it all she had no clue where she was! 

“...Why?” Alyssa asked, feeling dumb because she couldn’t think of anything better to ask. 

Castiel took a few steps towards her, like he was attempting to calm her down, “Those were my orders,” He explained, stopping just shy of a foot away from her, but still very much in her personal space. 

Something snapped in her, for some reason just hearing those four words set her off, and she was seeing red. “Your orders?” She grit out, hoping the angel wouldn’t be as clueless as usual and he would realize just how angry she was. 

“Yes” He repeated, only making Alyssa angrier. 

“I thought we were on the same page, we were taking a break from hunting, keeping out of the fight so we could take care of Sam, and you just come and throw us right back into it, without knowing what Sam could do? You- you ass! Just because some… whatever- in heaven told you to let him go, you did? He’ll end up killing himself,” She said, sounding pathetic, but at the same time getting angrier at Cas’ passive attitude towards the situation, “How could you do this to Sam, to us?” She demanded, giving him a minute to explain himself, which she was pretty impressed with herself for being able to do since she was seething. 

He narrowed his eyes at her, challenging her slightly, but still managing to look as emotionless as ever, he’d almost went through a complete change since she’d talked to him earlier that morning, “I must follow my orders.” 

Before she knew what she was doing, she closed the short distance between the two of them and managed to get right up in his face, trying to look as intimidating as possible, “You’d better find Sam now, or I’m going to-” She began, shoving at his chest in an attempt to get him to back up, but he was like a brick wall, and was more than quick to cut her off this time. 

“You can’t do anything Alyssa, this is not your fight,” He explained, his hands coming up to push hers off of him. 

She quickly removed her hands from his body so he wouldn’t have to touch her any longer than he did, she was  _ not  _ very happy with him at the moment, “What do you mean this isn’t my fight? We’ve been trying to stop the apocalypse from happening for months, and now you’re telling me it’s not our problem?” She demanded, frowning. 

Cas shook his head, “No, Sam and Dean are very much a part of it, it’s you that shouldn’t be involved,” He explained, glancing around the small room that the two of them were in. 

“If my brothers are involved then so am I, and we were ready to stay out of the way until you let Sam out,” She argued again, her confusion still more than present, “Besides, I thought you guys needed all the help you could get-” 

Once more he cut her off, but this time she could tell his patience was wearing thin, “Alyssa!” He snapped, “I expressed this to you this morning, I cannot have you in harm’s way, you are not going to get involved, I need to protect you, so you need to stay here,” He ground out, and Alyssa swore at that moment she could see his wings flare up around him, but the second she tried to look they were gone. 

She froze, “You’re going to keep me here, away from my brothers, just because of some stupid bond we have, you’re joking? What is wrong with you Castiel? You can’t do this to me, I’m a human being, and I want to be with my brothers, take me back, now!” Alyssa demanded, this time sounding much less intimidating due to the gravity of the situation; she still didn’t know where she was, it was very likely that Cas would be able to keep her here if he really wanted to, and Sam and Dean had no clue where she was,  _ and _ Dean had no clue what had happened to Sam, it was all a mess! 

Castiel cocked his head to the side, looking thoughtful for a moment, but in the next instant he straightened up and narrowed his eyes once more, clearly determined, “No,” He answered, and in the next instant he was gone, leaving her by herself without any clue where she was and even less of an idea what was going on.

* * *

 

For the first few hours she was stuck in whatever room Cas placed her in, she tried everything she could think of to get out, but she really was stuck in there, the door wouldn’t open no matter how hard she tried, and the windows looking out into a wooded area wouldn’t break, despite everything she threw at them, and she literally was throwing things at them. Not wanting to give up, but also not knowing what else to do, Alyssa tried to figure out the things she could do in the room, not that there was much… 

After several hours of trying to break out and sitting around, she realized just how hungry she was, and in the next instant, on the table that was in the room with her, a piece of pizza appeared! She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking at, but when her stomach growled again she wasted no time in helping herself, figuring that if Cas didn’t want her to get out then nothing would be able to get in, and therefore the pizza would be more than safe to eat. 

When she finished eating, she realized how bored she was, and as soon as that thought entered her mind, a book appeared next to her, one that she’d been meaning to read, and after that happened she realized that she could pretty much think anything she needed into existence, except a means of escape, since that was obviously the first thing she’d tried once she realized what she could do in the strange room. 

At one point in the day, Cas had decided to visit her, but she didn’t figure out what for because she soon as she saw him she grabbed the plate her pizza was on and hurled it at his head. Before it could even hit him he was gone though, leaving her by herself again. 

She decided that the next time he appeared, she would be a little bit nicer and not scare him away the second he decided he had something to tell her. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait too long to be able to talk to him again. 

Cas appeared in the same area he’d been before, looking like he was expecting her to throw something at him again, but appearing grateful when she didn't. “I thought you would want to know what is happened…” He trailed off, clearly trying to gauge how she would react, and when she didn’t respond he decided to continue, “Dean found Sam with Ruby not too long ago, he tried to get him to come back, it didn’t go too well,” He explained. 

Alyssa scoffed, “I’m not surprised, also not surprised you didn’t try to help Dean get him back, but what can I do about that?” She asked, bitterly. 

He frowned, but continued to tell his story, “Sam ended up leaving with Ruby, they’re going to stop the apocalypse.” 

She perked up at this, “Is that why you let Sam out? You guys knew Sam could stop the apocalypse if he went back to drinking Ruby’s blood?” Alyssa asked, deciding to play the more curious route rather than just yelling at him like last time, hopefully this way she’d be able to get a little bit more out of him than one word answers. 

Cas shook his head, “No, he will not stop the apocalypse,” He explained to her, looking much taller in that moment from her seated position on the cushiony chair she got to appear in the room a little while earlier, “Before you asked me why I had appeared to Dean, we need his help, he’ll be the only one who can stop the apocalypse, that’s why you weren’t needed,” He told her, making Alyssa that much more curious and slightly hopeful that she’d be able to get a lot more information out of him that he was supposed to tell her. 

“Then why did you let Sam go if he wasn’t going to be able to stop it anyways?” She asked, rowing things over in her mind. It didn’t make sense, clearly everything that the angels did was well thought out, they always had the easiest solution, so letting Sam go made no sense! Unless letting him go would make it easier for them to get Dean to help them with both his siblings out of the equation anyways, but he didn’t say anything about him being ordered to get rid of her too, she was pretty sure he brought her here on his own free will… 

The angel looked thoughtful, he was hesitating too, looking like he had something he wanted to tell her, but his lips were pressed tightly together. She noticed he was standing very stiffly too, something he had stopped doing so much when it was just the two of them compared to when he was with other people, clearly there was something she wasn’t putting together, something she just couldn’t understand… 

In an instant she realized what they were doing, “Sam isn’t going to stop the apocalypse, you let him out so he could start it!” She accused, feeling pretty positive with her realization, but at the same time not wanting to be right. 

Castiel’s eyes immediately shot up to hers, giving it away immediately, he was so easy to read, “It is the only way we will come out of this alive,” He said, solemnly. 

She narrowed her eyes at him, “The only way? Cas you can’t let Sam do this! If it doesn’t kill him it will end him, please!” Alyssa nearly begged, hoping he would understand how much this would affect her brother if he brought on the apocalypse! 

“It has to be done, those were my orders,” He said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself at that point, but still not moving on his current stance. 

She was thinking again, not really bothering to listen to him, she didn’t understand why they needed Dean to help them if they were just trying to start the apocalypse, “Why do you need Dean then?” She asked, noticing that Cas was staring at her. 

“Your brothers are part of something bigger, Sam is the only one who could start the apocalypse and Dean is the only one who could end it, it has been like this ever since John and Mary met,” He told her, easing himself down on one of the nearby chairs, clearly he was ready to have a real conversation with her. 

“What do you mean?” She asked. 

“The plan was never to stop the apocalypse, it was always prophesied that it would be this way, with your brothers at the start and end of it all. Sam is meant to start the apocalypse and Dean was born to stop Lucifer, that’s why we brought him back, so he could end it all,” He confided, and thankfully kept talking because Alyssa could barely comprehend it all, “God has been gone, I don’t know where, but we cannot count on his aide, so this is what we’ve come up with. Michael and Lucifer will fight, the apocalypse will begin, and Michael will win,” He finished, looking back at Alyssa. 

Her mind was racing! This was not what she expected at all, first of all she was shocked that angels would even consider bringing on the apocalypse, and secondly she didn’t even understand how her brothers of all people were chosen for this! “I don’t understand, there’s nothing we can do to stop the apocalypse?” She asked, to which Cas replied with a small shake of his head, “I need to tell Sam… and Dean! Please Cas you need to take me to one of them!” She practically begged. 

“Dean already knows, he is in a room similar to this one. Currently Zachariah is with him and explaining the circumstances, Sam must not know,” He said. 

“Well why can’t you bring me to Dean, since he already knows what will happen, I want to see him at least, and I’m sure he wants to see me too,” She decided, moving to her feet so that Cas could take her to be with one of her brothers. 

He stood up as well, “Fine, I’ll take you to him for now,” He said, and in the blink of an eye he’d grabbed onto her hand and the two of them appeared in a much larger, more extravagant room than she’d been given. 

“Dean!” She breathed, immediately recognizing him and running up to him to hug him before he realized what was even going on. 

“Shit, Alyssa!” He cursed, hugging her back just as quickly, “Bobby and I had no clue where you went, we thought you ran off with Sam but you weren’t there, and these douchebags weren’t telling me anything!” He cursed releasing her and gesturing towards Cas. 

Once Dean’s attention was on Cas it stayed there, too, “What are you going to do to Sam?” He demanded, taking a step towards him. 

Castiel shook his head, “Nothing, he’s going to do it to himself,” He said, leaving Alyssa confused as to why he wouldn’t just tell Dean what was going on. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” He demanded to know, sounding very aggressive. 

Alyssa was quick to calm him with a hand on his shoulder, “Sam’s going to be the one that starts it,” She explained, hoping that Cas wouldn’t immediately separate them, but clearly he didn’t care too much if he brought her here in the first place. 

Dean looked between the two of them before turning to Cas, “Is she serious?” He asked. 

Cas nodded, “We’ve been through much together, Dean, and I just wanted to say I’m sorry it had to end like this,” He confessed, much to their confusion. 

“Sorry?” Dean scoffed and before she could even think about stopping him, Dean marched up to Cas and punched him clear across the face. Of course it looked like Cas wasn’t even affected by the punch at all as Dean flexed his hand in pain before squaring up to him again, “You’ll need a bigger word than sorry!” 

Cas shook his head slowly, “Try to understand, this is you-” Dean clearly didn’t want to listen to him any longer though, and Alyssa didn’t blame him. 

“Destiny? Don’t give me that holy crap! It’s all a bunch of lies! You stupid son of a bitch,” Dean cursed, and Alyssa watched as Cas’ face fell, “People- that’s real! And you’re going to watch them burn?”

Castiel’s face suddenly got stern, “What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here, I see your guilt, anger, confusion. In paradise you’ll be at peace, even with Sam,” He argued back, the two of them both ignoring Alyssa at this point. 

Their argument only got louder from there on out, and Alyssa didn’t know how to intervene, she figured they just needed to hash it out. She didn’t tune back in until Dean started walking away from Cas towards her, “Dean,” Cas called, trying to spark up conversation again, but Dean wasn’t having it. 

“We’re done,” Her brother decided.

Alyssa went to go grab onto her brother’s arm, but in the next second, she felt herself getting tugged backwards and as soon as she opened her eyes she was back in her much smaller room with Castiel again. 

“Cas!” She gasped, once she got her balance again, “What was that?” 

He was sitting back in the same chair as before, his head hanging, “I don’t know what to do, Alyssa,” He confessed, looking back up at her.

She paused, not knowing how to comfort an angel, a problem she had to deal with more than she ever thought she would in her lifetime! “I can’t tell you what to do Cas, I’ve been trying to tell you what to do all day and clearly you didn’t want to listen to me, and at the same time, I feel like your… superiors have been trying to tell you what to do and you don’t agree with them, either, this is something you’re going to have to decide for yourself because if someone else tells you what to do you’re never going to be happy with your decision,” She tried to explain to him, having some understanding of how hard it was to get angels to have their own thoughts. 

Alyssa moved to sit down on the chair across from him, waiting for him to respond. He watched her like a hawk as she sat down, his eyes still searching, “I do not want you or Dean to be upset with me, but my brothers and sisters are all I’ve ever known,” He began, “But after meeting humans and learning about them, it is hard to know what is right.” 

Cas looked up at her and immediately Alyssa felt herself shudder, her hand reached out before she knew what she was doing and she grabbed onto his, electricity running through her once she touched him, but she couldn’t pull away, for some reason something was pulling her to him, “Cas… I don’t know what to tell you, you just need to decide what you think is right,” She paused, but something possessed her to keep going, even if she wasn’t quite sure what she was saying was the truth, “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll still be here for you,” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she released his hand, whatever was pulling her to him had stopped abruptly and she realized what she’d promised to him. 

He was still staring at her, and she was pretty sure he didn’t realize what had happened to her in the slightest, “I think I know what I have to do,” Cas said. 

He stood and Alyssa followed, “I will see you soon,” He told her, and after touching her on the forehead, Alyssa found herself coming face to face with the last person she expected; Chuck. 

“Hey,” She offered with a small wave. 

Chuck dropped the phone he was holding, looking very shocked at her appearance, “This isn’t supposed to happen,” He groaned. 

“Thought I would get a better welcome than that,” Alyssa grinned, she was always pretty fond of the prophet, he painted her in a very good light in the books, her brothers weren’t so lucky, and from the start she just thought of him as a funny, awkward guy just trying to make a living. 

He cringed, picking up his phone and hanging up despite the other person on the line trying to contact him, “Oh, sorry, uh, hey Alyssa,” He said, giving her an awkward hug, “How… how did you get here?” He asked. 

She shrugged, “I think Cas dropped me off here, I’m sure he’ll be back any minute-” She said, and just as she did, Cas and Dean appeared beside Chuck’s living room couch, startling the poor man for the second time in minutes! 

“This is really not supposed to happen,” He frowned, “You guys aren’t supposed to be here, you’re not in this story!” Chuck enforced, pointing an accusatory finger towards the three of them. 

“Yeah, well, we’re making it up as we go,” Cas said with a quick nod to Alyssa. 

She couldn’t help but to grin back at the angel, proud of him for doing the right thing, but before she had the chance to thank him, Chuck’s computer started flashing, along with his television and lights. Alyssa’s grin dropped from her face almost immediately as she looked to Cas to try to figure out what to do, but he did not look happy at all. 

“It’s the archangel, I can hold them all off, just go find Sam!” Cas demanded, turning to Dean before he zapped him off to who knows where. 

He reached for Alyssa, but she pulled away before he could zap her out of there too, “Don’t die on me angel, not when you’re finally doing what’s good for you,” She said, grabbing his hand. 

Cas nodded, but didn’t offer her any words of reassurance, “Goodbye,” He said, sending her off right to Dean’s side, in an empty church. 

She couldn’t help but to be a little frantic when she landed, but Dean steadied her, after all it was her first time being zapped somewhere without Cas there to help her out, and she couldn’t help but to be a little upset, especially since he’d saved her brother to send himself off to certain death. But they could mourn their friend later, Sam was the only thing that was important right now… right? 

Dean pulled her down the deserted church hallways thankfully, because the less she tried to think about Cas, the weaker she felt. They rounded a corner and she could hear Dean yell to Sam, but that was about it, because in that moment, Alyssa felt like she’d lost something, like something was taken from her. She didn’t notice as Dean ran to the doors that Sam was behind, she barely felt herself sink down to the floor, she could only feel this overwhelming emptiness! 

She didn’t know how much time passed, but she slowly was able to pull herself to her feet and realize that Dean was desperately trying to break the doors down. She pulled herself over to him and was about to grab the other candelabra to help him when he managed to bust them open himself. “Come on,” He muttered to Alyssa, helping her by guiding her into the room with a hand on her shoulder. 

Once she was in the room with both her brothers she felt herself relax a little bit more, but she still felt a strange emptiness, one that she couldn’t place, and she could barely hear what her brother’s were saying. 

The next thing she could remember was a flash of white light, then silence. 


	6. Chapter 6

The last few days went by faster than Alyssa could comprehend. After landing themselves a plane seat miraculously, and finally getting back on the ground, there was the awkward tension between her brother that only diffused when Sam tried to apologize, much to Alyssa’s pleasure. 

After that, the siblings found themselves at Chuck’s house, hoping to find Cas somewhere in hopes that he would be able to tell them how they got on that plane. But when they found Chuck, Alyssa had come to terms with what deep down she already knew to be true, he was gone. She didn’t understand what was going on or why it bothered her so much that he was… dead, but thankfully she didn’t have to think about it for long because then the angels decided to show up, and they were the last things Alyssa wanted to see at that moment, especially because the feeling that had come over her at the church had returned in full force after speaking to Chuck, this time she was a little bit more prepared at least, and she managed to keep her composure while Dean was forced to argue with Zachariah. Thankfully, Dean managed to use some sort of sigil to get the angels away from them and the three of them were on their way again, back in another run down motel trying to figure out what they could do. 

She spent a lot of time talking to Sam while they tried to figure out their next course of action, he was miraculously better, too, no more fever, shakes, cravings, he was just better, and because there was still some lingering tension between the brothers, and that Sam was the one to unwittingly release the devil, she really tried to give him some sympathy where it was needed. 

However it became harder to talk to Sam when Becky came into the picture, she seemed more than fond of Sam, but her and Dean took a back-burner to her attention, which Alyssa couldn’t say she minded, actually it was pretty funny how she interacted with Sam. She almost wanted to laugh, but the past few days whenever she felt even the smallest bit of joy it was squashed by a strange emptiness inside her. 

Thankfully, Becky at least gave them something to do that could possibly help them stop the Devil, and even more thankfully, Bobby was quick to drive to them, helping them out with the research, since he was the best at it, and she was more than grateful to finally have something to do other than try to talk to her siblings and diffuse the tension between them and help settle the guilt Sam was feeling. Despite them wanting to research, things only got more awkward when Sam confessed to Bobby it was him who started the apocalypse, and she didn’t have a clue what to do when Sam decided to go to the library, she certainly didn’t want to sit and listen to Bobby and Dean talk about Sam, and she didn’t want to see Sam mope, so she locked herself in the room and just decided to do some research on her own. 

It wasn’t such a good thing that she locked herself in her room when she heard yelling outside, to come out of her room to find herself being grabbed and held back by a gang of demons, including one who possessed Bobby! It only got worse when Bobby was sent to kill Dean and she was forced to watch, but instead he managed to stab himself straight through the gut. Alyssa screamed as Dean went after the other two demons and Sam made his appearance right on time, his entrance allowing Alyssa to break free of the hold the demon had on her and using the knife that had fallen on the floor next to Bobby she was able to stab the demon pursuing her before helping her brothers. 

They had a hard time getting Bobby to the hospital, it was scary and confusing, especially for Alyssa who had to sit in the back with him, trying to get him to respond to her in any way possible. She decided to stay with him at the hospital too, one Sam and Dean decided to go find the Michael sword, just so nothing else could happen to him while they were away. 

After she got questioned by the nurses there she was let into Bobby’s hospital room, which was someplace she was all too used to waiting around in, and frankly she found the small chair she was sitting in to be more comfortable than she remembered and she dozed off in minutes, feeling exhaustion sink in. 

She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for, but she was jolted awake by a strange force surrounding her. She opened her eyes and realized Bobby was still asleep, so he couldn’t have woken her up, and there was no one else in the room with them, but for some reason she felt a strange warmth spreading through her body, and even though it was a strange feeling it was familiar to her. 

Just as she got to her feet to grab her bag she discarded by Bobby’s bedside in case he wanted to grab her phone while she was asleep, it started to ring. Immediately, Alyssa grabbed her phone and flipped it open to hear Dean’s voice on the other end. 

“Hello? Dean?” She asked, hoping that the two of them had been able to find the Michael sword and they had their work cut out for them. 

“Lys! We’re on our way back now, listen, the Michael sword wasn’t there, well it was- It’s me? Somehow, we’ll explain soon… but we had a visitor, Cas is back, I don’t know how, he was dead, but he’s back, how’s Bobby?” He said, all too quickly, not leaving Alyssa any time to think about what Dean was saying, clearly a lot had happened while she was with Bobby. 

She could barely think though, Dean had just confirmed what Alyssa knew deep down to be true, Cas was okay, and she wasn’t sure why this was so important to her, he had brought them so much trouble, and he’d lied to them about her brothers, but he had also made it all better in the last few hours that she’d seen him. She couldn’t help but to be grateful for the angel for helping them out when they needed it, even though they couldn’t stop the apocalypse, he really did try, for them! 

Letting out a small laugh of surprise, she shook her head, trying to get her thoughts in order, “Okay, I need you guys to get back here soon because I’ve got a bunch of questions, but Bobby’s still sleeping, I’ll update you guys if anything changes, drive safe Dean, love you,” She said, still not being able to think too clearly. 

Alyssa closed her phone and threw it down next to Bobby’s bed, she considered leaving him a short note to say that she would be back with food in the next few minutes, but figured Bobby could figure it out, also he didn’t look like he’d be awake anytime soon. 

She left the hospital room as quietly as possible, asking the first nurse she found where the nearest fast food place was and she was quickly on her way to grab herself a burger and some fries! 

The walk wasn’t too long to get some food, but it was pretty quiet outside, she figured it was pretty early in the morning at that point and most people definitely wouldn’t be going out for a burger yet… 

Alyssa was just about to cross the street when she felt herself get grabbed from behind and pulled backwards into an alleyway. She was quick to react, despite herself being pretty short, she’d been fighting with Sam and Dean almost her whole life, she could take down guys twice her size. She spun around after throwing her elbow into her attacker’s side and threw her hand out to deliver a clean punch across the face, but she  _ just _ barely managed to stop herself when she noticed familiar dark brown hair and a tan trench coat. 

“Oh my god,” She gasped, not expecting to see the angel so soon since she’d found out he was alive, “You’re okay!” Alyssa said, and with barely any hesitation she flung herself towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Hello Alyssa,” He greeted, his voice as deep and gravely as ever. 

She realized he probably wasn’t going to return her hug and she released him, realizing that she was hugging him after a moment too long, probably, “How- how are you here? I don’t understand,” She asked, shaking her head in confusion. 

He shook his head, “I don’t know, but after the archangel… I was dead,” He explained, “There is only one thing that could’ve brought me back, and now I’m going to find God,” He told her. 

Alyssa’s head was spinning, she was very overwhelmed with what was going on, but figured she should just be pleased that he was alive. 

She was about to respond to him when suddenly his looked like he remembered something, “Oh, right,” He muttered, and before Alyssa could stop him, he had grabbed one of her arms and held her still while his other hand landed on her chest and in that very instant Alyssa felt a burning throughout her chest and then it was gone. 

“What was that?” She demanded, stumbling backwards. 

He stepped forward to meet her again, “It was an Enochian sigil, you’ll be hidden by every angel, both you and your brothers, that’s including Lucifer,” Cas explained. 

Alyssa coughed, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling like he was staring right at her where he’d burnt that into her ribs, which made her very uncomfortable. “Thanks, I think,” She offered, suddenly getting an idea, “Oh wait, now that you’re back, you can heal Bobby right?” Alyssa asked, getting excited at the thought of being able to help him. 

Cas stared at her, “I am sorry, I can’t help him, ever since I’ve returned I’ve been cut off from most of heaven’s powers, I can still do some things, but certain things I can’t,” He explained, sounding almost solemn. 

Her mood dampened almost immediately, but at least it wasn’t the same emptiness she’d been feeling for the days before Cas came back, she decided maybe she should ask him about that, but chickened out, feeling like he wouldn’t give her a direct answer, but she didn’t know what else to say to him in that moment. It wasn’t like the two of them were close… at least she didn’t consider them to be, maybe he thought differently but he didn’t show it. Besides, she had to feel some sympathy for him at the moment, he was cut off from heaven, that had to be hard for him to deal with. 

In a flash, he was holding a brown bag out to her, “Here, this is what you were going to get, yes?” He asked, and Alyssa looked down to realize he was holding out a bag of fast food, it was big enough that it looked like there was enough food for herself and Bobby when he woke up. 

She grabbed the bag from him, “Thank you,” She said, offering him a small smile of gratitude. 

“I’ll take you back to the hospital too, if you’d like,” He offered, and Alyssa was pretty happy that he actually bothered to ask her this time instead of just zapping her off. 

Alyssa smiled, “That would be great, thanks Castiel,” She said. 

He wasted no time in reaching out and tapping her on the forehead, sending her straight back to her chair in Bobby’s room, her bag of food still in her hand, and Castiel standing beside her, looking over Bobby. 

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that,” She mumbled, digging into the bag to pull out the container of fries she was set on eating at the moment. 

Cas hadn’t said anything, he was just standing there silently. Alyssa peeked up at him, eyeing the seat next to her, “If you’re going to stick around for a little while why don’t you sit down, you can try some of these,” She offered, waving the fries up towards him. 

Hesitantly, Cas sat down next to her, stiffly positioning himself in his seat before staring at the fries she was offering him. She shook the box once more to try to get him to accept her offer, which he did after another moment of hesitation. “Do you like it?” She asked, trying not to laugh as she watched him. 

He shrugged, “I can’t really taste your foods, they’re much duller than what I can perceive,” Castiel explained, still munching on the fries despite not being able to taste them. 

She couldn’t help but laugh, not even realizing that this was the first time she’d laughed in days, “Then stop eating them if you can’t even taste them,” She argued, grabbing her box back from him, which he gave up pretty easily. 

Her attention was moved away from Cas as soon as she noticed Bobby stirring on the bed, she barely even noticed that the angel next to her disappeared as soon as she looked away from him, heading to God knows where, and Bobby, despite his stirring, he didn’t wake. She just hoped that her brothers would show up soon enough. 

It didn’t take them too long to get back to the hospital and for Bobby to wake up, and after explaining to Alyssa what had happened to them on their hunt for the sword, their moods turned sore, not quite knowing where to go from here, other than just sticking together for the time being, hoping that Bobby would miraculously get better and somehow things would work out for them. 

They waited with Bobby for three days while they heard back from doctors and nurses constantly, hearing all about how Bobby wouldn’t walk again, and Bobby just laid there, not bothering to complain or fight or anything, it was heartbreaking to Alyssa. They tried to keep busy while they were waiting for Bobby to get out, but it was boring, there wasn’t enough for them to do in the small town, and even with the start of the apocalypse it was like this town was the only town demons weren’t flocking to at the moment, there was literally nothing they could do here. 

It took three days for Castiel to come visit them again, to which Bobby immediately demanded that Cas heal him, and Alyssa felt bad for not explaining sooner why Cas couldn’t help. The one thing that they had been doing while they were waiting for Bobby to do something was plan how to kill the devil, which Castiel squashed immediately upon hearing what their plan was, telling them how he planned on finding God because he believed that was the only way that they could stop the apocalypse at this point. Cas ended up taking Dean’s amulet and leaving, barely sparing Alyssa a second glance, which she couldn’t help but to think was a little odd… but she brushed it off, happy to not be in the middle of something for once. 

Thankfully, on the fourth day, Bobby got a call and the three of them went off on a job that turned out to be all too annoying in the end. After too much fighting with her siblings, Rufus, Jo, and Ellen, they  _ finally _ figured out what was going on and managed to save their friends by cutting off the Horseman, War’s, finger, and taking his ring with them. Alyssa was more than happy to have had the distraction, despite almost being ganked by Ellen at one point, it was at least something to do compared to sitting in the hospital room for another few days. 

The three of them ended up leaving the town shortly after they stopped War, planning on heading back to Bobby, when they decided to stop for some lunch and Sam decided that he needed to take a break from hunting. Alyssa was confused, she didn’t want him to leave, but at the same time she understood where he was coming from, she wouldn’t want him to drive himself crazy trying to find ways to redeem himself for starting the apocalypse. 

So they ended up going back to check out Bobby from the hospital, but without Sam, just her and Dean continued on their way, hoping to stop the apocalypse without Sam. 

They got Bobby out of the hospital and made sure he was settled back in his house and could move around in his wheelchair well enough before they set back off on the road, hoping to get back to simple hunting while they still could. 

It was only a matter of time before Castiel came back. 

Alyssa was in the motel room she and Dean had checked into, sitting on her bed and flipping through channels on the television for the time being, hoping that Dean would leave the bathroom soon so she could have her time in there, she swore he always took longer than she did! As she channel surfed, she suddenly felt a little lightheaded, before she realized what was going on. 

_ “Alyssa? Alyssa?”  _ She heard Cas’ deep voice ring through her head,  _ “I need to know where you are,” _ He demanded. 

She closed her eyes, for some reason it was easier to focus on what he was saying and her response back to him when she didn’t have to look at anything, and it was still strange to her than he could somehow communicate to her like this when no other angels could,  _ “Motel room 36B in Tupper Lake, motel’s called Gavin’s,” _ She thought back to him, hoping he’d be able to hear her clearly. 

Sure enough a second later he was standing beside where she was sitting at the foot of her bed, and thankfully she’d been expecting him or else she would’ve jumped a lot more than she did when he appeared. Dean chose that moment to leave the bathroom, finding himself surprised that Cas was in their motel room. 

“Jeez Cas, I thought you couldn’t find us?” Dean cursed, shutting the bathroom door behind him. 

Cas glanced down at Alyssa who had turned the TV off, “I asked Alyssa where you were,” He explained, and she was glad he didn’t tell Dean about their freaky mind link, she didn’t want anyone to know about the weird relationship her and the angel had until she had it all figured out. “Where’s Sam?” Cas asked, suddenly. 

Alyssa felt Dean’s mood shift instantly, and hers did too, neither of them wanting to talk about the fact that their brother left them, “Sam and us are taking separate vacations right now, so,” Dean explained with a shrug when he noticed Alyssa wasn’t going to say anything. 

Wanting to change the subject before Castiel could further pry into their lives Alyssa perked up, “Have you had any luck finding God?” She asked, looking up at him from where she sat on the bed. 

He shook his head, “No, I haven’t found him, that’s why I’m here, I need your help,” He explained, looking between her and Dean. 

“God hunt?” Dean scoffed, “Not interested.” 

Alyssa noticed something dark flash in Castiel’s eyes as he interrupted Dean, “It’s not God, it’s someone else,” He explained, and Alyssa wished he could get straight to the point instead of being so cryptic all the time! 

“Who?” She asked, immediately feeling curious. 

Cas’ eyes shot to hers, “Archangel, the one who killed me,” He confessed. 

Alyssa’s eyes widened, why would he want to find the angel that killed him in the first place, especially if he could easily do it again! “Why?” She asked, keeping up with the redundant questions. 

“His name is Raphael,” Castiel continued, “I’ve heard whispers he’s walking the Earth. This is a rare opportunity,” He urged. 

“For what? Revenge?” Dean demanded. 

Cas shook his head once more, like he was getting annoyed with all their questions, “Information,” He corrected. 

Dean huffed and went over to the small sink in their room to clean one of his knives, leaving Can and Alyssa hanging out awkwardly by her bed, her still sitting and him standing stiffly by her side. “So,” Alyssa began after another moment of awkward silence, “Once you find your guy is he supposed to just tell you where God is?” She asked, looking up from him where she was sitting. 

“Yes, we’re going to trap and interrogate him,” Castiel told her, his look turning dark. 

That seemed to catch Dean’s attention as he dropped his knife and washcloth, “You’re serious about this?” He asked, finally realizing what Alyssa already knew, “Give me one good reason why we should help you.” 

Alyssa’s eyes were shooting back and forth between the two of them, despite the help the angel had offered them in the past week, Dean didn’t seem to want to return the favor at all, “Because you’re Michael’s vessel and no angel would dare harm you,” He explained. 

Dean’s raised an eyebrow, “Oh, so I’m your bullet shield?” He asked, frowning. 

The angel spared her a quick glance before turning back to Dean, “I need your help because you are the only ones who will help me,” He confessed, practically begging her brother at that point. 

Despite the fact he wasn’t really asking for her help, she couldn’t help but to feel bad for him, “I’ll help,” She offered with a shrug before Dean could even say anything, she couldn’t stop any archangel from killing him on site, but she’d do whatever she could to try to help. 

Cas’ eyes shot to hers and he cocked his head to the side, considering her offer, “Thank you,” He accepted, much to Alyssa’s surprise, she thought he wasn’t going to  _ let _ her help, thankfully they were on the same page on this one. 

“Alright, fine,” Dean said, catching both of their attention once more, “Where is he?” He asked, sending a quick glare towards Alyssa, despite the small smile on her face. 

“Maine,” Cas told them, his hand reaching out to tap Alyssa on the forehead, “Let’s go.” 

Dean was quick to stop him though, pushing his hand out of Alyssa’s way before he could zap them out of there, “Woah,” He warned, “Last time you zapped me someplace I didn’t poop for a week! We’re driving!” 

Alyssa couldn’t help but laugh at Dean as he walked away from the two of them and she stood up to pack up her bags for the long trip ahead of them. She slid past Castiel, heading to the bathroom to grab her toothbrush out of the bathroom before going to pack up her clothes, deciding to dress a little more comfortably for the long car ride ahead of them. She grabbed a pair of sweats out of her bag and a t-shirt too and just as she stood up to head back into the bathroom she found herself nearly walking straight into Cas’ chest. 

“Oof!” She huffed, just barely managing to stop herself from running into him, but nearly falling backwards against the wall behind her, “Uhh sorry Castiel,” She muttered. 

He didn’t seem too phased by their interaction however, possibly he moved even closer to where she was nearly pressed up against the wall, “Thank you for helping,” He said after a moment, “Since I’ve rebelled there are not many angels willing to help me, let alone speak with me,” He confessed. 

Alyssa frowned, noticing how solemn he seemed about this, she knew what it was like to have family that wouldn’t talk to each other, it must be the worst when it was you they weren’t talking to, “I’m happy to help, you rebelled for Sam and Dean so it’s the least we can do,” She trailed off, not really knowing what Cas was looking for, “‘Scuse me,” She muttered, pushing past him to head towards the bathroom again, flashing him a quick reassuring smile. 

Once she got changed Dean was ready to head off so she threw her dirty clothes in her bag and followed him off towards the impala, making sure Cas was ready to follow them too. She quickly sat in the passenger seat, hoping that Cas would be comfortable enough in the back but the one upside to them separating from Sam for the time being was that she got the front seat and she wasn’t about to give that up now. 

Dean of course ended up driving and Cas got in the car behind Dean, sitting in the backseat, and Alyssa was more than thankful that Dean decided to put on music pretty quickly after they set off towards Maine. It didn’t take Alyssa too long to realize that she was  _ exhausted _ , Dean had made her drive the night before, which was very out of character, but she knew he needed the rest, still caught up about Sam not being there, so she had been up for more than an entire day at that point. 

“You alright if I doze off for a little?” She asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the car. 

Dean looked at her from the corner of his eyes, “Of course kiddo, you need it, I’ll wake you later,” He offered. 

She grinned, feeling very thankful she was able to get a couple hours of shut eye while she still could, “Alright night guys,” She said, glancing back at Cas quickly before reclining her chair a little bit. 

Alyssa expected that she’d be able to knock out pretty quickly, but what she didn’t realize was that because she always sat in the back when her brothers were in the car, she wasn’t quite used to falling asleep in the front seat, something she’d always had a hard time with. 

After trying to fall asleep for nearly a half hour, she sat up, determined at that point. Dean didn’t seem too confused as to why she was still up, he just kept his eyes on the road and kept driving, but Cas perked up at her sudden movement. “I thought you were sleeping?” He asked, frowning. 

She turned to face him, groaning, “No, I can’t fall asleep, I’m not used to sleeping in the front, it’s normally Sam-” She cut herself off quickly, noticing how Dean’s hands tightened on the wheel, but he still didn’t bother saying anything so she quickly changed her course of phrasing, “I just always am able to lay out across the backseat and sleep there,” She explained, pulling her seat out of its reclined position. 

Cas looked thoughtful, his brow furrowed, “Oh,  I thought you were tired though?” He asked, sounding very confused. 

She sighed, “Yeah, just sometimes I can’t sleep if I’m not used to where I’m trying to sleep, if that makes sense,” She continued to explain with a shrug. 

He looked down at the seat next to him before finding her gaze again, “There’s room back here if you want to try to sleep?” Cas offered. 

Dean shot Alyssa another look out of the corner of his eye, but still didn’t say anything, which Alyssa was thankful for, the angel was just trying to be nice after all. She was going to disagree with him, tell him that she didn’t need sleep but when she looked back at him her exhaustion hit her once more and she decided that she really needed to get a couple hours of sleep at least! 

“Yeah, yeah hopefully that’ll work,” She agreed, deciding that the exhaustion she felt convinced her that it was a good idea to unbuckle and clamor into the back seat of the impala. 

She ended up sitting awkwardly next to Castiel in the back, not quite knowing what to do now that she was next to him. Looking up in the rear view mirror she saw Dean flash her a smirk, he most likely would’ve made fun of her in that moment but he probably knew just how tired she was, and thankfully kept whatever comments he had to himself. 

Cas wasn’t saying anything, he was just watching her as she decided what to do, she was quick to spot one of her sweatshirts balled up on the floor of the car and grabbed that, rolling it up and making a small pillow for herself before laying down in the backseat, her head as far away from Castiel as she could get it and her legs curling up as far as the middle seat so she wouldn’t be taking up all of his space. 

Almost immediately Alyssa felt herself dozing off, which she was more than grateful for and before she knew it she was fast asleep. 

When Alyssa woke up she realized she was much too comfortable, but she felt like she’d gotten more sleep than she was usually able to, so she decided to let herself lay for a little while longer, at least until Dean tried to wake her up. 

She stretched her legs out until they hit the side of the car, pushing herself a little bit more forward and shoving her face further into her pillow. She only realized she should get up when she noticed that her pillow was much more than the bundled sweatshirt she had when she first fell asleep. 

Groggily, Alyssa sat up as fast as she could, noticing that next to where she was just laying was the ever stoic angel. “Oh my god I’m sorry,” She said, her brain waking up as soon as she realized what was going on, “I didn’t mean to-” 

Castiel cut her off pretty quickly though, lifting the sweatshirt off his lap, “You didn’t, about an hour out of Maine you looked like you were going to wake up, I thought you could use some more sleep so I thought I should help,” He offered, watching her with wide eyes. 

Alyssa rubbed at her eyes, it was obvious she’d gotten more than enough sleep from how she was feeling, but then she realized that the impala was parked and they were clearly at their destination, which looked like a small, abandoned shack. “Oh,” She muttered, feeling embarrassed, but thankful that Dean wasn’t there at the moment to make fun of her, luckily Cas definitely wasn’t going to embarrass her like that, “Uh, thanks then, I guess I needed it. When did we get here?” She asked, changing the conversation. 

He looked outside like he just noticed where they were, “We arrived not too long ago, Dean just went inside, he asked me to wake you,” He told her, his eyes finding her form again. 

She nodded, grabbing the sweatshirt that he was still holding out to her and quickly slipping it on, putting the hood up in hopes of hiding her extremely red face. She jumped out of the impala, deciding to wait for Cas to get out of the car too, but he just popped up next to her just as she turned around, startling her but she didn’t bother to say anything as she led the two of them into the small house that Dean had already entered. 

Dean was downstairs, having clearly already checked the place out, but she was sure Cas wouldn’t have brought them there if he didn’t know it was already empty. “The place checks out,” He told the two of them when they entered, “What are we doing here Cas?” He asked. 

“A deputy sheriff in this town laid eyes on the archangel, we need to go talk to the officer,” He told them. 

Alyssa sighed, “I’ll go grab your suit Dean,” She offered, making a trip back out to the car to go grab their FBI fits. She popped the trunk of the impala and grabbed their suits before heading back inside the house. It didn’t take long for the two siblings to change, and since Cas was pretty much suited up well enough and then they were back in the impala headed to the police station. 

“So the guy still has his eyes?” Alyssa asked after the three of them got out of the impala, to which Cas only nodded, “So what’s the plan?” She asked, grabbing her fake ID from Dean. 

Cas faced her, as Dean rummaged through his pockets, “We’ll tell the officer he witnessed an angel of the lord and the officer will tell us where the angel is,” He said with a shrug, as if it was that easy. 

“Seriously?” Dean scoffed, “You’re going to walk in there and tell him the truth?” 

The angel turned his gaze to Dean, looking confused, “Why not?” He asked. 

“Because we’re humans,” Her older brother shrugged, finding the ID he was looking for and passing it off to Cas, who held it, looking even more confused, “And when humans want something really bad, we lie!” 

Alyssa rolled her eyes and grabbed the ID out of his hand, stuffing it into his coat’s inside pocket before realizing that he needed a little bit more help than that. “Can I?” She asked, guesting towards his suit and tie underneath his big coat. Cas nodded, still looking perplexed, but that was all Alyssa needed as she adjusted his tie and pulled his black suit closer together, deciding that he looked put together well enough. Before she knew what she was doing, she reached up on her tippy toes and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face and neatening it up around the edges. “There, that’s better,” She said, backing away from him as quickly as possible. “Ready?” She asked. 

Dean went first with Alyssa and Cas following them and Dean was quick to separate in order to find some more cops to talk to, and she was left with Cas to talk to the Deputy. “Deputy Framingham?” She asked, practically pulling Castiel into the room with her. 

She pulled out her FBI ID, flashing a polite smile to the deputy, “Hi, Rebecca Watz, FBI, this is my partner Eddie Moscone,” She introduced, glancing towards Castiel who still wasn’t moving. 

He seemed to notice she was expecting something and after a moment he came to life, pulling out his FBI badge, which was upside down, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she grabbed his badge and flipped it right side up for him, giving the deputy another smile, “He’s new, mind if we ask you a few questions?” She asked, brightening up her smile like she normally did when she was dealing with a man who was giving them a little bit of trouble. 

The deputy nodded, “Yeah, sure, let’s go grab a seat,” He offered, leading them into the office, “Talk here though, hearing’s been blown to hell in this one,” He said, tapping his right ear. 

Alyssa frowned, “That happened recently?” She asked, taking the offered seat, subtly pulling on Castiel’s sleeve so he would follow her. 

“Yeah, the gas station, that’s why you’re here right?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he stared down Alyssa. 

She nodded, smiling again “Yes it is, mind running us through what happened?” She asked politely. 

“A call came in, a disturbance out at Pump and Go at stop four,” He began, “And I wouldn’t have believed my eyes if I hadn’t seen it myself, we’re talking a riot, full scale!” He exclaimed. 

Alyssa noticed Castiel sit up a little bit straighter at that, but he didn’t say anything, “How many?” She asked, hoping to keep the conversation going. 

He shrugged, “Thirty, forty? All in kill-or-be-killed combat,” The deputy shrugged. 

“Any idea what set them off?” She asked, practically on the edge of her seat. 

Castiel turned towards her, “It’s angels and demons probably,” He said with a shrug, turning towards the deputy to see if he was listening, “They’re skirmishing all over the globe.” 

Alyssa reached under the table, and flicked his knee hoping he would get the hint, “What did he say?” The deputy asked, turning back towards Alyssa, looking more than confused, and a little ticked off. 

“Nothing!” She replied at the same exact time Castiel decided to repeat himself with “Demons.” 

She glared at him, repeating herself this time, and kicking him, thankfully he did understand this time and shut up, letting her take control of the talking once more. “Demons, right? Everyone has them, drinking and adultery,” She said, hoping that the deputy would fall for her facade. 

The deputy looked suspicious but he let Alyssa continue, “Anyway, what happened next?” She pressed. 

“Freaking explosion,” He shrugged, “They said it was one of those underground gas tanks, but I don’t think so… It wasn’t your usual fireball, it was- um,” He said, but Cas cut him off quickly. 

“Pure white,” The angel said, staring directly at the deputy now. 

The deputy nodded, shooting Cas another strange look, “Yeah, gas station was leveled! Everyone just… it was horrible, and I see this one guy kneeling, not a damn scratch on him!” He said, sounding just as confused as Alyssa felt, at least she could get Cas to explain it to her later. 

“Let me guess, he just vanished into thin air?” She asked, feeling like she had some idea where this was headed, but as soon as Cas turned to look at her she knew she was wrong. 

“Uh no, Kolchak? He’s down at Saint Pete’s,” The deputy told them. 

Cas was still staring at Alyssa as she turned to give him a questioning look, “Saint Pete’s,” He repeated with a nod. 

“Thank you,” She said with a grimace, before turning to the deputy again, “And thank you Mr. Framingham, we really appreciate you giving us your time,” She said, standing up wanting to get Castiel out of there as quickly as possible before he could cause any more trouble for her, “Let’s go Eddie,” She said, forcing herself to not drag her from the room. 

The two of them got out of there pretty quickly and met up with Dean back at the impala before heading over to Saint Pete’s while Alyssa gave Dean the low-down on what they learned from the Deputy. However, the hospital wasn’t as helpful as they hoped it would be, the mechanic from the gas station was catatonic, and definitely not in any state to answer their questions. 

“Is this what I’m looking at if Michael jumps my bones?” Dean asked after they stood there for a minute. 

Cas turned to face Dean, “No, not at all, Michael is much more powerful, it’ll be far worse for you,” He explained, leaving Alyssa feeling cold. 

The three of them made their way back to the abandoned house they started in, Castiel explaining to them what they needed to know on the drive. Once they were in the house, Dean got to work deciding to grab a cooler and crack open a beer and while Dean was doing that Cas announced to Alyssa that he would be right back before disappearing right before her eyes. 

Dean passed her a beer, which she quickly cracked open after the day’s events and the two of them sat together at the single small table in the room, just taking the time that they had to relax for a little while. 

Surprisingly, it took Cas much longer than usual to return from where ever he zapped off to, returning to them with a ceramic pot in his hands. “Where have you been?” Dean asked, since he hadn’t bothered to tell Alyssa where he was going. 

“Jerusalem,” He told the siblings as he set the jar on the table they were sitting at. 

Dean stood, walking over to the cooler and grabbing himself another beer, leaving Castiel to take his seat, “What is that?” Alyssa asked, gesturing towards the pot. 

“It’s oil, very special, very rare,” He explained, shifting around in his chair so he was facing her. 

She took another sip at her beer, still curiously glancing at the pot, “Okay so we trap Raphael with a nice vinaigrette?” Dean frowned. 

“No,” Was all that Cas replied with, clearly not interested in explaining any more to them. 

“So this ritual of yours, when does it go down?” Dean asked, subtly checking his watch. 

The angel was not in the mood to speak today though, “Sunrise.” 

Alyssa watched as Dean leaned up against the wall behind Alyssa, “Tell me something, you keep saying we’re going to trap this guy… isn’t it kinda like trapping a hurricane with a butterfly net?” He asked. 

Cas looked away from where he was staring at Alyssa’s drink to look at Dean again, “No, it’s harder,” He said, and Alyssa could tell he wasn’t giving them one word answers on purpose, he was  _ nervous _ . 

“Do we have any chance of surviving?” She asked with a frown. 

His eyes met hers again, “You two do,” Cas offered. 

“So odds are  you’re a dead man tomorrow?” Dean asked. 

Cas nodded, “Yes,” Alyssa wasn’t sure how someone could come to terms with their death so casually, and how was this so important that he would practically put himself on a suicide mission. 

“Last night on earth…” Dean muttered, “What are your plans?” 

Castiel shrugged as he looked at Alyssa again, like he wanted to say something, but he turned away at the last moment, “I… I just thought I’d sit here quietly,” He decided, settling further into his stiff chair. 

Dean clearly didn’t like that answer, “Come on, anything? Booze, women?” He asked, a grin on his face. 

Alyssa could tell what Dean was trying to do, she agreed if Cas thought he was going to die tomorrow he at least deserved one last fun night on earth, but she wasn’t sure if an angel would like the same things Dean would… what did she know though? 

Castiel wasn’t looking at either of them now, he was twiddling his thumbs and looking down, “You have been with a woman before right? Or an angel at least?” Her brother laughed. 

She watched as Cas rubbed the back of his neck, looking very much embarrassed at what Dean was proposing, “You mean you’ve never been up there doing a little cloud-seeding?” Dean continued. 

Cas met her eyes briefly before immediately looking towards Dean again, “I’ve never had the time, okay?” He nearly spat. 

Dean laughed, grabbing his jacket and clamping a hand over Alyssa’s shoulder, urging her to get up, “Let me tell you something, there are two things I know for certain. One, Burt and Ernie are gay, and two, you are not going to die a virgin! Not on our watch, let’s go!” Dean grinned, hustling both his companions out the door and back into the impala, clearly already having a place on his mind where he could take the two of them. 

He ended up taking the three of them to a brother, “Dean this is so weird, I’m your sister,” She groaned as she followed him into the place, Cas trailing behind her. The three of them made a strange trio, but once they got in they were able to get a table pretty quickly, and Alyssa practically buried her face her in hands, not wanting to see her older brother check out girls for the rest of the night. 

Cas looked just as uncomfortable as she felt, as Dean ordered them a round of drinks and when her beer came she tried to get it down as fast as she possibly could, making Dean laugh. “Come on you guys, relax,” He grinned, tossing back his drink. 

Alyssa nearly laughed at how tense Castiel was, “This is a den of iniquity, I should not be here,” He proclaimed, looking like he was about to bolt. 

Her and Dean exchanged a look and she slid the angel the rest of her drink, urging him to take it, which he happily did. “Dude, you full on rebelled against heaven, iniquity is one of the perks,” Dean said with another grin. 

A woman approached their booth after a couple more minutes and Alyssa noticed Cas scoot closer to her when she did, “Hi, what’s your name?” She asked, clearly turning her attention towards the angel. 

Castiel averted his eyes, to Dean’s annoyance, in an attempt to not look at her, and Alyssa couldn’t help but feel bad for the angel, “Cas, his name is Cas,” Dean finally said after a much too long awkward silence. “What’s your name?” Dean asked after another minute of Cas not speaking. 

“Chastity,” She said, and Alyssa nearly snickered at how ironic the situation was, she sobered up when Cas shot her a look of confusion, and something else... ? But he looked away quickly, downing another beer as fast as he could. 

Dean raised an eyebrow, “Wow is that Kismet or what buddy? Well, he likes you, you like him, so dayenu!” Her brother practically ushered Cas out of the booth and towards the hooker, Alyssa quickly following with hopes of getting another beer, if both the people she was here with tonight were getting laid, then she was going to get drunk. 

The woman had her hands on Castiel and he turned out of her grip to watch Alyssa move towards the bar, “You’re not here together?” Chastity asked before Alyssa could move away from their booth, leaving even Dean opened mouthed in shock. 

“No, no,” Dean laughed, standing up to and pulling Castiel aside, “Not these too, he’s all yours,” Her brother grinned, pulling Cas over to the side and slipping him some cash and giving him some instructions before Alyssa could leave again, “Go get her, tiger,” Dean finished, pushing Cas back towards the hooker. 

“Come on baby,” She said, pulling Castiel towards the back while he shot Alyssa one more look before turning away. 

She sighed as Dean spotted a woman he clearly had his sights set on all night and excused himself, leaving Alyssa to head over towards the bar by herself. Not too long after Alyssa sat at the bar, her and the bartender started chatting, since most men there were only focused on the hookers, it was an interesting place to talk to the bartender, because she had plenty of stories, and it didn’t take too long for her to throw a couple more beers back, every once in a while getting a glance at Dean who was sitting pretty near where she was with a pretty blond, clinking glasses happily. 

On her fourth glass, which was plenty enough to get her drunk since she was so small, she suddenly heard a scream from the back of the brothel, her and Dean wasted no time in exchanging looks and heading back there, one that she was much slower to get to than Dean, since that was her first time standing back up in a little while. 

She pushed past the thick red curtain leading to the back hallway and stumbled into the room, finding Cas standing there, his jacket hanging off his shoulders a little bit more than before but he was still pretty well put together, other than the fact he was getting screamed at by a different girl than he’d originally gone in the back with, clearly he wasn’t that popular with the women here… 

Alyssa reached Dean’s side as the woman threw something at Cas’ head, which he dodged easily before noticing that Alyssa and Dean were there. “What the hell did you do?” Dean demanded as the woman stormed away from Cas. 

She stumbled up behind Dean, falling against one of the walls once she reached them, giggling a little bit at how disheveled Cas looked. 

“I don’t know,” He said, giving Alyssa a sideways glance, “I just looked her in the eyes and told her it wasn’t her fault that her father Gene ran off, it was because he hated his job at the post office,” Cas explained, still staring at Alyssa as she righted herself. 

Dean almost doubled over in laughter after that, “Oh no, man!” He groaned, grabbing Cas by the shoulder before finally noticing Alyssa who was having trouble standing. 

“What?” Cas asked. 

Her brother grabbed her by the arm, helping her regain her balance, “This whole industry runs on absent fathers!” He said, practically holding Alyssa up against him as she erupted in giggles. 

Dean turned around, noticing the two bouncers that were sent to the back, letting go of Alyssa momentarily and causing her to pitch forward having not balanced herself yet, and she immediately fell into Castiel’s body, his quick reflexes allowing him to catch her and pull her upright again. 

“We should go,” Dean urged, turning back around and only pausing briefly when he saw the weird position that Alyssa and Cas were in, “You got her?” he asked, pushing Cas towards the door. 

Alyssa stumbled alongside Cas down the stairs while Dean kept pushing them out, “I can walk by myself,” She mumbled, laughing as Cas pulled her along by the arm, but he didn’t bother letting her go, even when the three of them finally made it out of the building. 

“What’s so funny?” Cas asked once he was able to turn around and face Dean who was close to cackling, which made Alyssa laugh much more than necessary, too, and soon enough both the siblings were laughing harder than they had in a long time. 

“Nothing!” Dean grinned, “Woooo, it’s been a long time since I’ve laughed that hard, it’s been a long time… years,” His face fell, but Cas and Alyssa didn’t notice since the angel was busy trying to get her into the backseat of the impala. 

He opened the door for her and climbed in after her, “Thanks Cas,” She slurred, falling against the farthest door of the impala until Cas reached out to pull her back. 

“Keep an eye on her alright?” Dean said, starting up the car before pulling out of the parking lot. 

Alyssa’s head lolled and she found herself falling into Cas’ side this time, more than happy to be drunk for the time being, she really was having a great time and she thought she deserved it, at least until she felt herself wake up the next morning. 

She was laying on a mattress that was much too thin and her head was propped up by a pillow that was even flimsier, but that didn’t bother her as much as her pounding head did! She groaned as she tried to right herself, but decided that she didn’t want to get up until she wasn’t in so much pain anymore. 

“You’re awake,” Castiel’s gravely voice rang out, causing her head to pound once more. 

Alyssa barely responded, just let out another groan in response as she heard Castiel walk closer to her bedside, “It’s about to be sunrise, we need to go to Saint Pete’s,” He said, and with every word she could feel her brain going crazy. 

Cracking her eyes open she was glad to see it was still dark, so that wasn’t something she had to deal with, “Alright,” She mumbled, “Give me a minute,” She said as she managed to get herself up out of the bed and onto her feet. 

Raising a hand to her head she started to rub at her temples, hoping to relieve the pain in some way, and when she put her hands down to try to find some clothes to change into she froze at the sight of Cas not a foot away from her, “Allow me,” He offered.

Not thinking about what she was doing, she ducked her head out of his reach, nearly falling backwards on the bed, “No, I thought you were cut off from heaven?” She asked, blinking as her head pounded again. 

He walked towards her again, getting just as close as before and this time before she could pull away he placed his fingers on her head and instantly she felt some relief, “There are certain… liberties that I have with my grace,” He said, pulling away from her and giving her room to stand, “We need to go now,” And before Alyssa knew what was happening, Cas snapped his fingers and she found herself feeling completely refreshed and dressed in a clean outfit, and standing in the hospital room they had visited the other day. 

Dean had slipped into the room just as Cas started to pour his oil all over the floor around the man’s wheelchair. “You two made it, how you feeling shortie?” He asked as he shut the door behind him, grinning at Alyssa. 

“Great,” She groaned, rolling her eyes, even though Cas practically fixed her right up, she still woke up with a hangover and she was not happy about that in the least. 

“When the oil burns, no angel can pass through the flames, or he dies,” Cas explained without having to be prodded this time as he finished making his circle around the chair. 

Dean looked over Cas’ handiwork, “Okay, so we trap him in a cage of holy fire, but one question; how the hell do we get him here?” He asked, frowning. 

Cas approached the vessel, taking one look back towards Alyssa and Dean, “Very simple, there’s almost an open phone line between an angel and his vessel, one just has to know how to dial,” He explained, leaning down to the vessel before he started whispering in his ear, something neither Dean or Alyssa could understand, “I’m here Raphael, come and get me you little bastard,” Cas finished, stepping out of the circle of oil. 

“How long will it take for him to get here?” Alyssa asked once Cas was outside the ring of oil. 

He lit a match before throwing it to the ground, lighting up the ground around the vessel, “Be ready,” He warned. 

A few minutes went by, then a few hours, then by the end of the night when there was still no sign of Raphael, the three of them had to call it quits, something Alyssa had told them they should’ve done a long time ago, but Cas wasn’t having it, he clearly wanted to wait for some reason. 

Finally, Alyssa was able to convince Cas to head back to their setup, telling him they could try again in the morning, but when the time came he seemed oddly more compliant with what she was suggesting, and Dean shrugged, almost as if he was just coming along for the ride. 

The three of them slumped back to their little shack and Alyssa almost went to go grab a beer when she was grabbed by the arm and yanked backwards before electricity zapped along the wall beside her and a man appeared in the middle of the empty room they were in and Alyssa was more than thankful that Cas had shoved her behind him. 

When she got a peak from behind Cas’ shoulder she realized it was the man from the hospital, but clearly this time around he was possessed by an angel, and they weren’t prepared to fight an archangel! 

“Castiel,” Raphael said, and Cas returned the greeting, his hand still tight around Alyssa’s arm as he started to walk closer to the archangel, Dean following. 

“And I thought you were supposed to be impressive,” Dean scoffed, “All you did was black out the room!” 

Raphael turned to look at Dean, “And the eastern Seaboard,” He said, just as lightning flashed outside of their small shack. “It is a testament to my unending mercy that I don’t smite you here and now.” 

Alyssa couldn’t help but flinch, catching the archangels attention from where she stood still slightly behind Castiel, “Or maybe you’re full of crap, maybe you’re afraid God will just bring Cas back to life again and smite you and your candy-ass skirt, by the way, hi, I’m Dean,” Her brother smirked. 

“I know who you are, and now thanks to him I know where you are,” Raphael said, sounding more than pleased with himself, “And I know who you are too, Castiel wasn’t too bright in bringing his mortal pets here.” 

“You won’t kill him, you wouldn’t dare,” Cas glared, his grip on Alyssa’s arm tightening slightly and his words coming out in a growl, normally Alyssa wouldn’t want anyone pulling her around, but in the presence of an archangel she was more than happy to have someone a little bit more powerful than her keeping her steady. 

“But I will take him to Michael,” Raphael countered, ignoring Alyssa again which she was happy about. 

Dean sauntered over to the cooler of beer they still had in the house, “Well then, sounds terrifying, really does, but I hate to tell you that I’m not going anywhere with you,” Her brother snarked, much to her disappointment, she didn’t know how they were going to stop Raphael without the holy oil! 

“Surely you remember when Zachariah gave you stomach cancer?” He asked, his gaze locked on Dean as he cracked open a beer. 

Alyssa shifted slightly, coming out from behind Castiel’s back, since clearly her brother was calm enough in this situation and he could very well be taken to Michael any second, but Cas wasn’t letting her leave his side. 

“Yeah that was hilarious,” Dean countered, taking a swig of his beer. 

“Well he doesn’t have anything close to my imagination,” The archangel said, finally dropping his blank facade to offer him a smile. 

Alyssa noticed Dean was fiddling with something in his back pocket at that moment, and she knew that he knew something she clearly wasn’t aware of, “Yeah, well I bet you didn’t imagine one thing,” Dean said, smirking. 

“What?” Raphael asked, taking a step forwards. 

“We knew you were coming you stupid son of a bitch,” Dean grinned, pulling the lighter out of his back pocket and dropping it on the ground where it immediately erupted the floor around Raphael in flames. 

The archangel looked beyond pissed to have been tricked, and Dean could tell as clearly as Alyssa could, “Don’t look at me, it was his idea,” He said, gesturing towards Cas, who clearly wasn’t amused as he finally let go of Alyssa’s arm, something she was sure neither the archangel or her brother noticed. 

“Where is he?” Cas asked, finally being able to get to the point now that Dean finished his part. 

Raphael’s eyes twinkled with something akin to malice, “Haven’t you heard Castiel? He’s dead,” He deadpanned, “There’s no other explanation, he’s gone for good.” 

“You’re lying,” Cas nearly growled, taking a step closer to the flames around Raphael. 

“Am I? Do you remember the twentieth century? Think the twenty first is going any better? Do you think God would have let any of that happen if he was still alive?” Raphael asked. 

“Oh yeah, then who invented the Chinese basket trick?” Dean asked with a grin. 

“Careful boy, that’s my father you’re talking about,” Raphael said, turning much darker than they’d seen him yet. 

Finally, Alyssa felt like she had the chance to say something, “Yeah, I’m sure he would be so proud to know his sons started the friggin apocalypse,” She cursed, glaring at the archangel. 

“Who ran off and disappeared, who left no instructions and a world to run?” Raphael said, “We’re tired, we just want it to be over, we want paradise,” He explained, and Alyssa almost felt bad for the man if it weren’t for the fact he was trying to keep the  _ apocalypse _ going! 

“So what? God dies and makes you the boss and you decide you can do whatever you want?” Dean snarked, still sending zingers, not bothering to stop taunting him. 

Alyssa watched Raphael clench his hands into fists, “Yes, and what we want, we get,” He growled. 

In the next second, the window behind them exploded, sending glass flying everywhere, and Alyssa was sure she would’ve gotten her back shredded up if it weren’t for Castiel reacting faster than she could blink, slinging an arm around her waist and pulling her body in front of his larger one, stopping her from getting the brunt of the shattered glass. 

“If God is dead, why have I returned, who brought me back?” Alyssa could hear Cas shout over the roaring winds. 

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe Lucifer raised you?” Raphael grinned, clearly enjoying tormenting Cas. 

She felt his arm tighten around her, “No!” He nearly yelled, sounding more and more upset. 

“Think about it, he needs all the rebellious angel he can find, you know it adds up,” Raphael continued to taunt. 

He straightened up so he wasn’t curled up around Alyssa anymore, his arm loosening up a little bit but still tight enough so he could tug her away from the archangel, “Let’s go,” Cas said, turning to head out the door. 

Alyssa pulled away from him now that they were leaving and she felt a little more comfortable with the situation, “Castiel, I’m warning you, do not leave me here, I will find you,” The archangel growled. 

She paused as Cas turned around once more to face him, “Maybe one day, but today, you’re my little bitch,” He finished before walking out the door, sparing a quick glance out of the corner of his eye to see if Alyssa was following him. 

They piled into the car, Cas climbing into the backseat and sitting solemnly, not saying a single word and sitting quietly, and neither Alyssa or Dean wanted to break that silence. Dean drove them to a small, run down motel, their usual set up and they quickly trudged inside, wanting to get a little bit of rest before deciding on their next course of action. 

Alyssa managed to get herself into the bathroom to clean herself up a little bit before letting Dean take his time in there, and she collapsed on the bed that Cas was hovering by. 

“You alright?” She asked after a minute of silence between the two of them, somehow gathering enough strength to sit up cross legged on the bed. 

He nodded, “Yes I am fine, Dean convinced me that I should keep searching for God, I believe he’s out there,” The angel confessed. 

She scooted a little bit closer to him, throwing her legs over the side of the bed, “Thank you… for helping back there too, I guess I was a little shell-shocked from meeting an archangel,” She said after hearing Dean start up the shower realizing it was going to be a little while before he was back out of the bathroom. 

Cas finally turned to look at her from where he was standing, “You’ve met Gabriel before,” He commented, furrowing his brow. 

Alyssa froze, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she decided on what she should tell him, “Maybe… maybe because this one wanted to-  _ has  _ killed you before,” Alyssa managed to get out, swinging her legs a little bit before freezing as he sat down next to her. 

The bed dipped to her right and her head shot to the side to see Cas settling down on the small motel bed with her, “I am alright though, Raphael will not be able to find me for a long time,” He said, almost as if he was trying to console her. 

She couldn’t help but scoot a little bit further away from him, feeling the need to put some space between them in that instant, it just felt too familiar and she didn’t need to put herself too closer to someone she didn’t need to get too close to. “Either way, I appreciated it, and I just wanted to thank you,” She murmured, hoping he would get the point. 

He leaned backwards, his hands supporting his weight on the bed, “Of course, I would not let any harm come to you,” He said. 

Alyssa frowned, the last time he’d suggested that he was holding her hostage in his own version of a panic room, hopefully he wasn’t getting any more ideas in regards to that, “Right, you’ve mentioned,” She said, not knowing what else there was to say. 

Cas turned towards her, “Yes, and I will keep mentioning until you don’t hurt yourself anymore,” He deadpanned, almost making Alyssa laugh, since that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. 

“I guess you’ll be sticking around for a while,” She snickered, the craziness of the last couple of days hitting her all at once. 

He didn’t seem to understand why she was laughing as he stared at her with a blank face, “Yes, of course,” Cas said, “As long as you need me to be here, I will be here,” He finished. 

Her snickering calmed down after another moment, since the angel wasn’t offering her any sort of understanding, he was just being sympathetic, which she appreciated nonetheless, “We appreciate it Cas, I don’t know what Sam and Dean would do without you,” She offered him a small smile, scooting backwards so she could get ready to lay down on the bed.

Thankfully, Cas got the hint and stood up, watching over her from her bedside as he cleared his throat, “I, uh, yes, I’m sure they would be worse off without… me,” He commented, frowning at the ground, “But I’ll leave you for now, get some rest, Alyssa, you need it,” He ordered. 

“Yeah, will do, see you around, Cas,” She said, waving him away and crawling underneath her blankets, and when she looked over he had disappeared. 

She didn’t even remember when she fell asleep, she was just happy to get rest for the second day in a row, actually right now she considered herself pretty lucky, hopefully their luck with stick with her for a little while longer! 


	7. Chapter 7

Ever since Cas branded all of their ribs with his sigils she’d gotten much more used to him chiming into her head to ask where they were, and she was able to recognize when he was about to talk to her too, so when she was driving to meet Dean at his motel room and felt the slight lightheaded-ness that came with talking to an angel she knew she was going to be having a conversation with him soon. 

_ “Alyssa?” _ She heard him ask after several seconds of silence. 

_ “Hey Cas, _ ” She replied, still not quite understanding how she was able to respond to him through her thoughts but appreciating the fact she didn’t have a large phone bill because of him. 

_“Where are you and Dean? I need to talk to you both_ ,” He questioned. 

But it was bad timing on his part,  _ “I’m driving back from Bobby’s to meet up with Dean now, I don’t know his room number and I won’t get there for a little while longer so maybe you could call him?” _ She replied. 

_ “Where are you?” _ He persisted. 

She paused a minute, waiting until she saw the next mile marker,  _ “I’m on I-29 South, heading to Kansas City, about three hours away, just passed mile marker 115, does that help?” _ She asked, hoping she’d given him enough information, since she didn’t know what else she could tell him. 

“Yes it does.” 

Alyssa couldn’t help but to jump when Cas popped up in the passenger seat next to her and thankfully grabbed the wheel, keeping the car on the road, “Shit!” She cursed, righting herself on the road again with his help, “That’s one way to say hello,” She frowned, glaring at him for a second before focusing on the road again. 

“I have a request,” He asked, shifting to face her, his longer legs cramped awkwardly against the console between them. 

She pretended to ignore how intensely he was staring at her and kept her eyes strictly on the road, “What’s up?” She asked.

“I think I may have found something leading to where God could be, I would like your help investigating,” He said, for once getting to the point instead of forcing her to ask a billion different questions. 

Alyssa wasn’t expecting this out of anything he could’ve asked her! She thought he’d ask her to explain something ‘human’ to him, like a toaster, or to ask if he could accompany her to the motel, this was just unexpected, but last she knew, he didn’t have much help in the angel department, for all she knew her and Dean, and  _ maybe _ Sam were the only people that talked to him. “You want my help?” She asked, her mind not quite being able to keep up with her. 

He nodded, staring at her with wide eyes, “Yes,” He deadpanned. 

“What… what would I have to do?” She asked, wanting to say yes but feeling overwhelmed. 

“I have a lead on where God could be, I am planning to go to Jerusalem soon, there is a temple there that might have something to do with his whereabouts, and I would like for you to come,” He repeated, not moving from where he was staring at her. 

Alyssa frowned, he didn’t tell her  _ what _ he wanted her to help with exactly, but he was asking her for something, which he hardly ever did, “Alright, I’ll help you, when are we going?” She asked, hoping he wouldn’t just zap her out of her car in that moment, she at least wanted to be able to get to the motel first and tell Dean what Cas wanted them to do. 

“Later,” He said, much to her relief, “I need to take care of some things first,” He said, finally turning his gaze away to look out the window, “I will meet you at Dean’s motel later, thank you,” He said, looking at her once more. 

She was about to say goodbye to him, but he had already zapped himself out of there, but the strange things was she could’ve sworn she felt something grace across her arm just as he left. She quickly shook off the strange feeling and popped a piece of gum in her mouth, hoping to be able to get to his motel that much faster from how quickly she was getting tired, but it’s not like she wasn’t used to being sleepy during these late night drives. 

Thankfully, after choosing a good radio station to put on the ride went pretty quickly after that and, having texted Dean earlier asking for his room number and for him to put a key under the mat in case he fell asleep, she got up to his room and let herself in. 

She set her bag down by the empty bed, not wanting to disturb Dean from where she could see him sleeping on the far bed and she unpacked, throwing a sweatshirt on, hating how cold Dean kept the motel rooms when she wasn’t there to argue. She immediately plopped down on the bed closing her eyes, hoping that she’d be able to fall asleep as soon as possible, but before she could she realized someone else was in their room. 

Alyssa popped up, grabbing her knife and threw herself off the bed to turn and face the stranger, ready to stab him, but froze when she realized it was, “Zachariah,” She frowned, glaring at the angel. 

“Alyssa,” He greeted, a polite smile on his face, “Glad you decided to join us!” 

She glanced at Dean from the corner of her eye, or where she thought he was, he was gone now, “What did you do with him?” She asked, still holding the knife out even though it wasn’t going to cause him any harm. “Did you take him to Michael?” She demanded. 

“Not yet,” He said, looking much too amused with himself. 

“You’d better bring him back, or I swear-” She threatened, but was cut off before she could continue with her threat. 

The angel shook his finger at her, “How about I do you one better, I don’t think Dean’s the only one who needs to learn a lesson,” He said, and before Alyssa knew what was happening, she was submerged in darkness, only to find herself standing in a beat up cabin in the next second! 

Alyssa took a minute to make sure she was in one piece before looking around the cabin, wondering where she could’ve been, she was about to explore when she realized why she was there. “Dean?” She asked, watching her brother attempt to pry up a nail from the table next to him.

“Alyssa?” He asked, cocking his head to the side, “This isn’t what it looks like, uhhh, an accident-” Dean started to explain. 

She immediately rushed to his side, pulling a hairpin out of her pocket and undoing the cuff before he could continue to explain, “What happened? Where are we, I got to the motel room and… and Zachariah-” Now it was Dean’s turn to cut her off. 

“Woah, wait, you’re actually you? Not weird freaky future you? Oh thank god,” He breathed, his hand coming loose from the cuff, “Zachariah brought you here? Are you alright?” He asked, confusing Alyssa even more. 

“Future me? Are we  _ in _ the future?” She asked, ignoring his questions. 

Dean nodded as he got to his feet, “Yeah, and I want a look around,” He decided, pulling Alyssa along with him, “Zach said I’m stuck here for three days, wants me to see what’ll happen if I keep saying no, I think it’s a load of crap,” He muttered, poking his head out of the door, motioning for her to follow along, “Oh, and I haven’t seen future you running around anywhere yet so we should keep our eyes open, hope you don’t pop up, future me was a dick,” He explained as the two of them exited the cabin. 

“Present you is a dick,” She couldn’t help but tease, following him further into the camp. 

“Hey, Dean!” The siblings turned around to see a too familiar face running towards them, “You got a second?” Chuck asked, barely sparing her a second glance, looking up at Dean only. 

Dean shot her a quick glance, “No- yes… Uh, I guess. Hi Chuck,” He said, continuing to send glances towards Alyssa. 

“Hi, so, uh, listen, we’re pretty good on canned goods for now, but we’re down to next to nothing on perishables and- and hygiene supplies,” He began, glancing at his clipboard, “People are not gonna be happy about this. So what do you think we should do?” He asked, looking back towards Dean. 

Dean shrugged, “I dunno, maybe share?” He shook his head, looking very confused, and Alyssa almost laughed at his confusion, apparently his future made him a pretty big deal around this camp, “Alright, you know who might have a really good idea, Alyssa,” Dean grinned, pulling her forward with an arm around her shoulders so she was facing Chuck. 

Chuck’s brow furrowed, and a laugh escaped him, until he looked at her, immediately his jaw dropped and he didn’t look like he was able to close it, “Alyssa?” He asked, furrowing his brow. 

She was sure their conversation would’ve continued as it usually did, him being more than awkward and possibly trying to flirt with her a little bit and her humoring him and laughing at his bad jokes, but he looked like he’d seen a ghost, “Yeah, is everything okay?” She asked after a minute of him not speaking. 

“This isn’t possible,” He got out, eyes wide in confusion, “You, how are you here?” 

Before they could continue with the conversation, a woman had come up behind Dean and definitely would’ve hit him if it weren’t for Alyssa shouting his name in warning. Her brother quickly ducked behind Chuck, using the man as a shield as the woman tried to get to him. 

“You spent last night in Jane’s cabin didn’t you?” The woman, Risa, accused, still trying to come for Dean’s neck. 

Dean looked more than confused, “I uh, what? Did I?” He asked, looking down at Chuck who nodded quickly, his eyes roaming back to Alyssa again. 

“I thought we had a connection,” Risa sneered, “And now you’re with  _ another _ girl?” She asked, pointing towards Alyssa. 

She couldn’t help but laugh, “Trust me, I’m not another girl,” Alyssa assured. 

Risa sneered at her before turning to Dean again, “Screw you,” She finished, storming off. 

“Oh jeez, I’m getting busted for things I haven’t even done yet,” Dean chuckled, and Chuck shot him a look before his eyes fell on Alyssa again, “Hey, is… Cas still here?” Dean asked hesitantly, shooting a quick grin to Alyssa. 

Chuck nodded, “Yeah, I don’t think Cas is going anywhere… and he’s going to want to see you,” He finished, gesturing towards Alyssa. 

The siblings followed Chuck in silence to Cas’ cabin and when they reached his cabin Chuck trailed behind, “Uh, Alyssa,” He called, stopping her before she could go inside with Dean, “I need to tell you something...  about Cas,” The prophet warned her, “And… first of all, I don’t know how you’re, you- how you’re here, but ever since- uh, ever since you-” Chuck started to stutter, but stopped when Dean called for Alyssa from inside the cabin. 

“Hey,” He called, popping his head out, “You’d better get a look at this!” 

Alyssa gave Chuck a quick sympathetic glance before running up the cabin stairs to meet her brother inside of Cas’ cabin, “What’s going on?” She asked, pushing her way through the beaded doorway only to find herself face to face with Castiel. 

He looked different from the Castiel that she knew though, he wasn’t in his normal attire, instead he was in jeans and a cotton blue shirt, his hair was a little bit longer than she was used to and he had much more stubble than he normally did, and he looked more than shocked to see her there. 

“Hey Cas,” She said after a moment of silence between the two of them, with Dean looking at the strange couple. 

As soon as his name was out of her mouth the angel practically lunged, throwing his arms around her body and pulling her in tight, hugging her to his body almost too tightly. Alyssa froze as soon as he threw himself at her, confused at what was going on as he wrapped on arm around her waist and his other hand trailed up her back to wrap itself up in her hair. 

“Woah,” Dean finally managed to get out, stepping back from the embrace that was happening between them, “Guess the future’s made you much more touchy, huh?” He laughed. 

Finally, Cas gave her some room but he was still holding onto her by the arms, looking at her like he hadn’t seen her in years! … Had he seen her in years? “Cas, what-” She tried to ask him a question but he just started to laugh. 

“I should’ve realized,” He said once his laughter calmed down a bit, “You’re not really you,” Cas said, a huge smile on his face. 

Alyssa frowned, “Yes I am, I don’t understand,” She said, squirming under his hands. 

“You  _ are  _ you, but you’re not the you I knew,” He explained, still as cryptic as ever as he flexed his hands around her arms, “You died,” He said, smiling despite his words. 

She shook her head, looking towards Dean, who looked just as shocked as she did, “No, what… how?” She asked, brow furrowed in confusion. 

Castiel’s face scrunched up, clearly he didn’t want to talk about that, and Alyssa was pretty sure she didn’t want to know. The angel froze, suddenly like he remembered something and all at once he let go of her arms and walked over to another room in his cabin before coming back out to them, “Sorry, I just had to excuse some… guests,” He explained, looking almost sheepishly towards Alyssa. 

Thankfully, Dean decided to interrupt again, “Alright… well whatever this is why don’t you just strap on your angel wings and fly us back to our page on the calendar,” He ordered. 

Castiel laughed, walking back over to where Alyssa was standing, “I wish I could, uh, strap on my wings, but no dice,” He sighed, not sounding like he cared too much. 

“What happened to you?” Alyssa asked, since it didn’t look like Dean was going to say anything else. 

He laughed as he slung a strong arm around her shoulders, “Life,” Came his simple reply. 

Alyssa noticed Dean start to inch towards the entrance to his cabin, “Alright well, I’ll let you two catch up, I’m going to try to go find future me and get some answers,” He said, and before Alyssa could stop him he was out of the cabin. 

“Are you… stoned?” She asked after spending a second trying, and failing, to get out from underneath his arm. 

Cas grinned as he led her over to the center of his cabin, helping her sit down on one of the cushions he had laid out on the ground, “Generally, yes,” He said as he sat down next to her on his own cushion. 

“Alright,” She groaned, “So… what is all of this?” She asked, gesturing around his cabin. 

He raised his eyebrows, “Oh, well, this was for the orgies,” He said, nonchalantly. 

“Orgies?” She nearly choked, how could Castiel, of all people, have changed this much? 

Cas nodded, looking at her thoughtfully, “I’ll stop,” He said, all too eagerly, “Unless you’d want to join them?” The ex-angel asked after a moment’s hesitation, still sounding completely too eager. 

All Alyssa could do was blink, “I- no, thank you, I’ll pass,” She finally was able to get out, her confusion overwhelming her, and no thanks to Dean, running off without her! 

He let out a sigh, “Alright, can’t blame me for trying, right?” Cas said with a wave of his hand and a grin. In an instant, he reached over and grabbed her hands, pulling her forward a little bit, his smile dropping instantly, “Wait, what year are you from?” He asked, narrowing his eyes. 

She pulled away a little bit, not used to this touchy Castiel, “2009,” She replied, hoping he would catch onto her body language. 

Cas didn’t bother letting go of her, but confusion crossed his features briefly, “I see, so we haven’t- you don’t…” He trailed off, looking at the ground, “I suppose I was a lot less of a people person back then,” Cas said with a laugh. 

Just then, there was a knock at the side of the cabin, and Alyssa jerked her head around to see who was coming inside, “Hey Cas, we need to have a little meeting,” Dean’s voice rang out loud and clear to her, but it was different,  _ he  _ was different, clearly this was the future Dean. 

Cas stood up immediately, pulling Alyssa with him, “I know Dean, look who’s here,” He said, dragging her in front of his body and resting both of his hands on her shoulders, almost like he was presenting her to the future Dean. 

Immediately there was a gun in her face, “Who the hell is this?” He growled. 

Cas was quick to pull her behind him, a challenging look in his eye, “It’s Alyssa, I’m sure you already met yourself, they came over together,” He explained, not letting her move from behind him, which she found almost comforting since it reminded her of her- of the present Cas. 

Dean slowly lowered the gun, “Have you done all of the tests?” He asked, still glaring uneasily towards her. 

She was allowed to move away from Cas’ back once the gun was lowered, “Yeah, of course,” Cas lied, sending Alyssa a subtle wink before turning back to Dean with a happy smile. 

He still stared in distrust but nodded, “Alright, I suppose both of you should come then, let’s go,” He ordered, not sparing Alyssa a second glance. 

Cas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her out of the cabin as they followed Dean, and the whole time the ex-angel hardly stopped talking, telling Alyssa about each and every cabin and each person they happened to pass by as well. It was honestly kind of sweet, she couldn’t help but to smile as he led her around, but then she realized, it was a little sad, had he not gotten to show the future her around this place, had she died before he had the chance, before anyone had the chance? She kept her thoughts to herself, not wanting to make either future Cas or Dean feel like they were going too crazy, even though Dean already must be feeling insane after seeing his past self show up not two days ago! 

The three of them entered the main cabin, which Cas had pointed out to her, and Alyssa was quick to try to separate herself from Cas to meet her Dean, only to have Cas follow her like a puppy shortly afterwards. The meeting was interesting, the future Dean was trying to find and kill Satan, and they were pretty sure they knew where he was, and they wanted her and Dean to join them on the hunt for Satan, and soon enough they were on the way to finding and stopping Satan. 

Cas didn’t let her leave his side throughout the whole ordeal, she even rode with him to the site where Satan was supposed to be, where he shared with her the disturbing news about what happened to Sam, leaving her a little shaken on the rest of the drive, but there was no way her and Dean would be getting back to their time without seeing this first, she was sure that was what Zachariah wanted him to see, and she was just stuck with him for the ride. 

When the group circled around the house, future Dean made her and regular Dean separate, which Castiel put up a pretty strong fight against, but she appeased him, telling him she would meet up with him as soon as this all was over, that didn’t last long though because it didn’t take too long before future Dean had knocked them both out. 

Dean woke her up and pulled her off the ground, not too long after his future self knocked them out, she hoped anyways, and the two of them ran around the back of the house, hoping to get in the same was that future Dean did, hoping to see how the situation played out. 

It didn’t play out too well at all, they arrived just in time to see Lucifer, wearing Sam like a puppet, snap Dean’s neck, stepping over his body like it was nothing before approaching them.

Thankfully, the two siblings were pulled out of the future soon enough, and they didn’t have to sit through the torture of watching their brother be dragged around by Satan, only to end up in a different hell, one where Zachariah knew where Dean was and could easily drag him over to Michael at any moment!    


The three of them found themselves in a shouting match in the next instant, “Nah?” Zachariah mocked, “You’re telling me you haven’t learned your lesson? Even with your precious sister dead?” The angel growled. 

“Screw you,” Alyssa spat, the knife from earlier still in her hand as she stood defensively. 

“Oh, I’ve learned a lesson, all right, just not one you wanted to teach,” Dean said, standing his ground. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but shutter as the angel got closer to her brother, “Well, I’ll just have to teach it again, because I got you now boy, and I’m never letting you-” 

It all happened so quickly, Alyssa heard the light flutter of wings and then she was looking at the side of a highway, and she was sure they were very far away from the old motel room they just left. 

Alyssa felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and immediately looked up to see Castiel staring down at her with a look of concern, but she ignored it as she wrapped him up in a hug the second she recognized him, “Thank you!” She grinned, happy that the two of them were out of that situation. 

“That’s pretty nice timing, Cas,” Dean agreed once Alyssa had let go of the angel, watching as Cas’ arms came down from returning Alyssa’s embrace. 

Cas nodded, “We had an appointment,” He deadpanned, almost making Alyssa laugh. 

Dean smirked, “Don’t ever change,” He laughed. 

Alyssa turned to Dean before either of them could say anything else, “Can you call him, please?” She asked, pushing him away from the two of them in hopes that he’d get the hint and call their brother finally! 

Her older brother nodded, “Yeah, yeah, I should’ve done this a long time ago,” He agreed, turning away from the two of them as he pulled out his phone, dialing Sam. 

“How did Zachariah find you?” Cas asked, catching her attention again. 

She turned back to him and frowned, “I don’t know… After I got to the motel I went to lay down and he was just  _ there _ , then he took us to 2014, he wanted to ‘teach Dean a lesson,” she explained with a shrug. 

Cas cocked his head to the side, “What was it like?” He asked after a moment. 

Alyssa shrugged again, “It was weird, there’s not really many ways to describe it, very surreal, a little sad, but it got Dean to call Sam back so Zachariah did teach him a lesson in the end, if only he’d listened to me from the start,” She said with laugh, “I’ve been trying to get him to call Sam back for the past few days, he just doesn’t listen!” 

The angel looked like he was listening very intensely, almost reminding her of his future self, but she was pretty sure she shouldn’t tell him anything about that, “I am glad to hear it,” He told her, “Where would you like me to take you and Dean for the night, another motel?” He asked. 

“Would you be able to get Dean’s car here, I don’t think he would mind driving tonight, I think he would like that a lot more than trying to sleep again,” She suggested, hoping that would be an easy feat for the angel. 

All Cas did was nod before snapping his fingers, causing the Impala to appear right in front of her eyes, “Thanks… again, really,” She grinned, sometimes it was pretty great being friends with an angel, there were some great perks, “You’re welcome to come with, I’m sure Dean will figure out where Sam is and we’ll get as close as we can today.” 

The angel nodded, “I think I would like that,” He agreed, “Were you able to sleep or would you like to sit in the backseat again?” Cas asked, and without Alyssa realizing it, her face turned bright red at the offer, it reminded her of the last time her and Cas had gotten  _ too _ close to one another. 

“I think I’ll be fine this time around, you can take the passenger seat if you’d like though, you need the leg room more than I do,” She offered. 

“I am an angel, I do not need to be comfortable,” He explained, much to her annoyance. 

“Take the front seat, without Sam it’s weird if I’m sitting up there, please?” She asked, offering him a smile this time around. 

That was all it took, Cas agreed immediately, already zapping himself into the passenger seat, leaving Alyssa to climb into the back, a place she realized she was more than comfortable in when Sam wasn’t here, and soon enough Dean joined them, bringing the car to life and heading off towards some place in Indiana, according to Dean that was their halfway mark to Sam. 

Apparently she was more exhausted than she thought because once Dean put on his radio station, and with one quick glance back from Castiel, she felt her head get heavy and not long after that she’d passed out for the rest of the trip! 

* * *

“Wake up, shortie,” She heard Dean yell back to her. 

Alyssa cracked open her eyes to see that it was daylight now, they must’ve been close to where they were going to meet Sam, “Are we almost there?” She asked, pushing herself into a seated position. 

He nodded, “Yeah about five minutes out, figured you’d want to be awake when we meet up,” Dean said with a grin. 

Immediately she woke up, feeling more than excited to go see Sam again, a week had been too long, “Thanks,” She grinned, finally noticing that Castiel had disappeared, most likely during her nap. 

Their reunion with Sam was heartfelt, she was more than excited to have him back with them while Dean was a little cautious, but in the end they made up and they were back on the road, this time Alyssa driving with Sam, to give him some much needed company, since her brother insisted on having his own car this time around. 

She was happy to be able to talk to Sam again, he was much more empathetic than Dean and always willing to talk to her about things Dean didn’t want to, so it was a nice change at the moment. 

The motel they met up in was nicer than the usual places the three of them got, but they were celebrating their reunion so they could afford to splurge a little. After a few drinks with Sam and Dean each claiming a bed for themselves, she made a place for herself on the motel couch, but she didn’t care she was happy things were back to normal. 

The three of them knocked out quickly, but Alyssa was the first to wake up, feeling her head get a little heavy, “Cas?” She called out, thinking he was already in the room with them. 

_ “Where are you?” _ She heard him ask in her head, making her sigh, at least he didn’t break in while they were all sleeping. 

She sat up, not as exhausted as she usually was because she was able to take a long nap in the car ride earlier,  _ “Motel in Indianapolis, the Moon and Sun, room 102 I think,” _ Before she could even finish her sentence, she heard the flutter of wings and saw a familiar dark silhouette appear in the middle of their motel room. 

“Hello Alyssa,” He said, turning to face her after he realized where she was sitting. 

Immediately she jumped to her feet, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him over towards the couch again, shushing him as she did so, “Shh!” She hissed, “They need their sleep,” She explained to Cas, who nodded in understanding. 

“Then I will take us somewhere more private,” He said, and before Alyssa even had time to brace herself she found the two of them standing in the middle of a dry, foresty area, some place she would never recognize in a million years. 

“Where are we?” She asked as soon as her feet hit the ground. 

Cas let go of her arm as he looked around the area, “We’re in the Neve Ilan Forest, just outside of Jerusalem,” He explained. 

Alyssa frowned, “Jerusalem, we’re on your God hunt now?” She asked, looking around for whatever temple he’d mentioned before. 

He nodded, “Yes, the temple can only be found at sunrise, so we must hurry,” He instructed, walking off into the vegetation that surrounded them. 

She quickly caught up to him, wanting to stick close to his side, since she had no clue what to expect out here, “Is there any way you could let Sam and Dean know where I am? I don’t think my phone covers all the way out here,” Alyssa requested. 

Cas glanced down at her from where he was walking by her side, “Of course, they’ll be informed,” He assured her. 

Alyssa sighed, almost regretting that she told him she would accompany him, but she couldn’t back out now that she was in Jerusalem with him, it’s not like he would take her back home now. The two of them continued on their walk, Alyssa making conversation every time she noticed something that caught her eye, after all, she should treat this like a vacation, she’ll definitely never come back here! 

“Where exactly is this temple?” She asked after they’d been walking for a little while, she didn’t want to complain, but it was almost sunrise, from what she could tell, and where they were walking still looked the same to her. 

Just as she asked that the two of them reached a clearing and Cas held his arm out, stopping Alyssa in her tracks, “We’re here,” He told her, his eyes narrowing as he looked around the clearing. 

She frowned, “Where is it?” She asked after a moment of him staring at the empty ground. 

“I need to open it,” Cas said after a moment, and before she knew what was going on, he started chanting in a foreign language she couldn’t understand, but as soon as he was done, a stone door shimmered into existence, right in front of her very eyes. 

“What?” She gasped, her mouth falling open in shock. 

Cas glanced down at her, “You don’t want to swallow flies,” He instructed, his hand coming up and prodding at her chin until she closed it, but after that she wanted to drop her jaw again. 

“Are you making a joke?” She laughed, pushing his hand away from her. 

He furrowed his brow, “No, there are a lot of bugs out here, you wouldn’t want one getting in your mouth,” He said, his hand still hovering by her as she laughed at his answer, “Are you ready to go inside?” 

She got over her laughter and nodded, barely noticing how his hand fell on her shoulder as he started pushing her forwards until they reached the door. He opened the stone door with one hand, turning around to look around the area behind them before ushering the two of them inside. 

Once the stone door closed behind them they were shrouded in darkness, the only thing keeping her stable was Cas’ guiding hand on her back as it pulled her that much closer to his side, “Stay close,” He warned, pulling her along as he navigated the the temple they were in. 

She never liked the dark, sure she was a hunter, but she preferred to be aware of her surroundings at all times, so darkness wasn’t her favorite setting. As soon as his warning left his mouth, she felt herself gravitating towards him, her hand coming up to meet his side and wrap itself up in the fabric of his tan trench-coat as he tugged her along. 

As soon as she grabbed onto him she could’ve sworn she heard him let out a low growl, but it was forgotten when she stumbled forwards, tripping over something she couldn’t see. 

Letting out a small shriek, she felt herself pitching forwards, and she was sure she would’ve fallen forward if it weren’t for two strong arms pulling her upright against a firm chest, “Are you alright?” Cas asked. 

She could barely make out an outline of him, but she knew that they were standing very close together, chest of chest, his hands holding her steady on her feet, “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks,” She murmured, eyes wide as she tried to make him out. 

“Let’s keep moving,” Cas suggested, “I won’t let you fall,” Next thing Alyssa knew she was tucked under his arm, being held protectively against his side. 

“Okay, uh, what exactly are we looking for?” She asked, getting frustrated the further they went in the temple and  _ still _ she wasn’t able to see anything! 

He kept walking, clearly on high alert, “There should be a text, somewhere in this temple, I just need to locate it,” He told her, pausing before turning to the left. 

She nearly stumbled at the change of direction, but Cas held her firmly and paused until she regained her balance, “So how am I supposed to help? I can’t see anything and I don’t even know what you’re looking for,” Alyssa argued, feeling confused. 

Cas suddenly paused, gently pushing her backwards until she felt her back against a wall, and next thing she knew he was holding up a ball of blue light in between them, illuminating the room for her, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from what was between them. “What- what is-” Cas cut her off before she could even finish her question. 

“It’s a small portion of my grace,” He explained, “Do you still wear your necklace?” 

Alyssa took a minute to comprehend what he was asking her, still not being able to tear her eyes away from what he was holding out to her, and she reached her hand down her shirt to pull out her silver cross necklace, something she was surprised he even knew about. 

As soon as the pendant was resting on her shirt instead of under it, his hand flew forward, pressing the ball of light directly onto her necklace. Alyssa felt herself press her body against the wall behind her, not quite knowing what was going on, but when the pressure was relieved from where he was holding his hand against her, she peeled herself off the wall, looking curiously at Cas. For some reason, even though the light wasn’t illuminating the room anymore, she could still see him very clearly, he was practically glowing, and the whole room was outlined now too, she could make out the hallways he’d been leading them through up until now. 

“My grace is now in your pendant, you will be able to make your way through this temple on your own, we are looking for a stone tablet, it will have enochian writing on it, you’ll know if you find it,” He explained to her. 

She nodded, “Alright, so are we splitting up now?” She asked, looking down the hallway they were headed down, she didn’t see any forks yet so she wasn’t sure where they would be splitting up. 

“Not yet, we’ll keep walking,” He told her, turning to head down the hallway once more. 

Alyssa immediately started to follow him, tucking her necklace back under her shirt where she could practically feel it humming against her skin, “So is this how you can see right now? I can see you pretty clearly, but everything else has silhouettes,” She asked, feeling her curiosity peak. 

Cas shook his head, “No, I can see perfectly in here, since you’ve only got a portion of my grace on you it won’t be as effective,” He explained, coming to a stop. 

Alyssa nearly ran straight into his back at his abrupt stop, but she managed to catch herself, peaking around him to see why he stopped, “Now we’re splitting up?” She asked, looking towards the four different hallways they were faced with. 

He nodded, turning to the side so she could shimmy past him in the narrow hallway as she examined the hallways, “I can take these two if you want to check out the other two?” She offered, starting to head off towards the left. 

“Just be careful, watch your step,” Cas warned, giving her a nod as she made her way down one of the tunnels. 

Even though she had some sight now that Cas helped her out, it was still darker than she would’ve liked it to be, and she didn’t know how large this tablet was supposed to be, it was going to be pretty tricky for her to find whatever he was looking for. 

She didn’t know how long the tunnels stretched on for, but she thought she should walk until she found the end, or until Cas told her otherwise. She let her hand travel alongside the wall next to her, keeping her steady as she walked down the rocky pathway. 

_ “What are you seeing? _ ” She heard Cas ask after about five minutes of them being separated. 

It shocked her for a second, but it wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened in that instance,  _ “I think I’m almost at the end of the first tunnel,” _ She narrowed her eyes as she reached the end of the tunnel, trying to see what was at the end. The tunnel didn’t go up too high, but all along the back wall was writing that she couldn’t understand,  _ “I’m not sure if this is what you’re looking for but you might want to check it out, _ ” She thought, hoping Cas would heard her. 

She moved closer to the wall, squinting slightly to see if she could make anything out, but it was still in a different language so she couldn’t quite tell what it meant. She straightened up, wanting to call for Cas again, but as soon as she did she could feel him pressed up against her back. Alyssa tried to jump forwards, but the wall of text in front of her was so close she had nowhere to move. “Long time no see,” She commented, feeling very cramped, “I guess this is why you asked me and not Sam or Dean to come, there’s barely enough room for you to fit in here,” She said with a laugh as she turned her head to look up at him. 

Cas’ shoulders were too broad to fit down the hallway behind him, keeping him in the last little part of the tunnel with Alyssa, and giving her no room to scoot out from behind him, “Yes, exactly,” He said with a small cough before his eyes turned to the text in front of her. 

Alyssa tried to move to the side so he could read the text better, but now that the two of them were down there, she didn’t have anywhere to move! Cas didn’t seem to even notice her predicament though, he just kept reading through what she found, “Excuse me,” He said, crouching down so he could read the lowest part of the text, crowding himself by her legs. 

When he stood up, he towered over her again, coming face to face with her in the small enclosed space, “This isn’t what I am looking for, let’s try the other two tunnels,” He offered, reaching out and zapping the two of them off to where the tunnels broke off into four sections again. 

She nodded and went down her next tunnel, hoping that they’d be able to find something helpful for him while they were here. Thankfully, this tunnel was a lot shorter than the last one, and all Alyssa found was piles of rocks down the entire tunnel, none of the ones she looked at could see she any texts. 

When she was done in that tunnel she left to go meet Cas where they originally split up, but he wasn’t done with his search, she guessed,  _ “Cas? _ ” She thought, trying to get his attention. 

He didn’t answer her, so she decided she’d try her shot at making her own way down the last place she’d seen him. “Cas?” She called out loud this time, hoping he’d hear her, but all she heard was her voice echoing down the tunnel. 

She started to get a little nervous, she did  _ not _ want to get caught in Jerusalem in some strange temple that only angels could apparently find… and she wanted to make sure he was okay, too. 

Thankfully, when she reached the end of the tunnel she found herself staring at the angel’s back, “Cas?” She asked again, furrowing her brow at him, 

He didn’t move, he was clearly staring at something, not focusing on her at all, “Cas, hey, is everything okay?” She approached him, getting right up close to his back so she could see what he was looking at. Turns out he was holding a stone tablet that fit the description of the one he was looking for, but his gaze wasn’t wavering, even with Alyssa peeking out over his shoulder. 

She was getting tired of being ignored by him when he was usually so attentive, “Hey,” She demanded, grabbing at his arm and attempting to turn him towards her, “What does it say?” 

Finally, he lowered the tablet, turning to face her, “Nothing,” He nearly growled as he let out an aggravated sigh, “I don’t understand, it says nothing about God,” Cas said, defeated. 

She felt bad for him, all he wanted to do was find God, she didn’t think it should be that hard for an angel to do, but clearly it was, and it looked like it was taking a toll on him. “Can we look anywhere else, there’s probably more tunnels somewhere in here?” She asked, hopefully, not liking seeing Cas looking so downtrodden. 

He shook his head, the stone tablet falling to the ground at their feet and breaking into pieces, “There is nowhere else to look, not here,” He confessed, “I don’t know what else to do.”

Alyssa moved so she could wedge herself in front of him, hoping to bring him some comfort when she put her hand on his shoulder, “Hey, look you’re going to find him, it’s just going to take a little bit longer than you wanted it to, you just heard about this place, so maybe another will come up,” She said in her attempt to comfort him. 

He froze as soon as she came in contact with him and Alyssa could feel his heart beating from where her hand was placed, “You-” Cas froze as soon as he spoke, and the next thing she knew he grabbed her, pulling her even closer to him, if that were possible, “Stay quiet, we’re not alone,” He ordered, whispering his words into her ear. 

Alyssa was breathing heavy from their sudden change in position and the speed at which he was able to change their position, she nodded in response to his words keeping quiet and still against him. 

Cas was quick to transport the two of them out of the tight tunnel and back to where they first split up, still holding onto her as he surveyed the area. “Hello angel,” Alyssa nearly jumped when she heard a deep voice call out to them from somewhere behind the two of them, “And Winchester,” The voice called once the two of them turned to face whoever was speaking. 

There was a man dressed in a smart suit in front of the two of them, smirking as if he’d caught them in some big trap, “Who are you?” Castiel growled, pushing Alyssa behind him as he approached the person. 

“I’m just here find out what you know,” The man shrugged. 

Alyssa glared at him, “What makes you think we’re going to tell you anything?” She spat at the man. 

In an instant, the man had disappeared, coming up behind Alyssa and grabbing her around the neck, pinning her against him before either of them could blink, she let out a cry of fright before she grabbed onto his arm, attempting to pull him off of her but he wasn’t budging. 

“I think he’s going to tell me anything I want to know,” The person sneered down to her as she struggled, freezing when she got a glimpse of his black eyes. 

Cas looked all to calm though as he took a step forward, stopping when the hand around Alyssa’s neck tightened and she winced, “What do you want to know?” The angel growled.

The demon behind her pulled her further backwards, clearly wary of Cas, “Where is God?” He demanded. 

Cas looked towards the ground, sighing out of his nose, “We came here to God’s temple in hopes that his location would be revealed to us, there is a tablet, down that tunnel,” He gestured to where they’d just came from, “It is broken, I can’t find all of the pieces, we’re still looking, but because this is a holy temple, God’s holy temple, you can do no harm here,” Then he’d disappeared. 

Alyssa shrieked as she was torn away from the demon and into a pair of familiar arms, “Close your eyes,” She heard Cas worn just in time as he opened his hand and smite the demon right in front of her. 

Breathing heavily, Alyssa felt her knees go weak as she leaned most of her weight against him, “Can I open my eyes?” She asked, once she heard the demon’s dead vessel hit the ground. 

“Yes.” 

She opened her eyes to see his hand still extended in front of her and the body sprawled out on the ground at her feet, his hand slowly lowered until it was by her side, grazing over her hip, “Thanks for that,” She finally decided to say, neither of them moving from their close quarters. 

He nodded against the back of her head, “Of course, I would never let you get hurt,” He told her, the hand clutching at her side flexing slightly as he said this. 

“Are we still looking in here? Or are we really done… for today?” She asked, wanting to make sure the angel could still be hopeful about his God search. 

She felt him nod again, “Yes, there is nothing else we can find here, I will keep looking though,” He assured her. 

Finally, she felt like she was steady enough on her feet to pull away from him, his hands slowly moving from where they were holding her close to him, “Let me know what you find, if you ever need any help just let me know, this was  _ fun _ ,” She offered, “Even though I don’t think you really needed my help,” Alyssa said with a smirk. 

Cas shuffled around the small area, looking down at his hands, “Being with you… and your brothers, I found that company on these things is coveted, and you and your brothers seem to work better when you are together, I thought I might have the same luck,” He explained, looking bashful. 

She couldn’t help but smile at him, “Well then don’t hesitate to ask for any of our help in the future, I’m sure Sam and Dean would be more than happy to help if you ask,” She told him, her hand coming up to rub comfortingly at his arm, “Should we get going now? I’m sure Sam and Dean will be waking up soon and I don’t want them to miss me too much,” She asked. 

The angel nodded, immediately zapping them back to the motel room that the siblings had set up camp in the night previous, her brothers seemed shocked at their sudden appearance, but brushed it off once they realized who it was, “Welcome back, ready to hit the road?” Dean asked, sending Cas a confused glance. 

“Yessir,” Alyssa saluted, grabbing her belongings from where she’d left them on the couch, “You coming with?” She asked once she was done packing up her bag and turning to Cas. 

He had his eyes pinned on her form as she turned, “No, I think I’m needed elsewhere for the moment, but I’ll be in touch,” He said, and disappeared immediately after he was done talking. 

The three siblings stared at the blank space for a minute, not sure if they’d ever get over seeing some just disappear into thin air, “How was your alone time with Cas?” Sam smirked, grabbing his bag and hiking it over his shoulder as Dean started towards the outside of the motel room. 

Alyssa rolled her eyes, following her brothers and closing the door behind them, “It’s not like that, Jerk,” She replied, slapping his arm, “He asked for my help on a little mission, looking for God,” She explained to her brothers as they got to her brothers two cars. 

“Did you find him?” Sam asked, furrowing his brow. 

She laughed, shaking her head, “No, not today, I think if anyone can figure it out Cas will be able to, though,” She said, hoping she’d be right. 

“Who you driving with, shortie?” Dean asked, about to get into the impala. 

“I guess I’ll stick with you until we get to the next gas station,” She said, waving goodbye to Sam before hopping in the passenger seat, “Where we headed now?” She asked once Dean started up the impala, feeling surprisingly energized. 

“Sam’s got a place out in Ohio, we’re headed there for now,” He told her, “‘Don’t get too comfortable, we’re not that far out.” 

Then they were on the road, heading to Ohio! 


	8. Chapter 8

Their plans to kill Satan were much more complicated than anything else they’d tried to kill in the past. Currently, they were trying to get to Crowley to get the cult to kill Satan with, that was the only thing they knew that could possibly kill him, so that was the current plan.

Cas had been on Crowley’s trail for a while, and luckily he was able to get them his location, too bad it was warded and he couldn’t just take the cult himself, nothing was very easy for the siblings.

Jo and Ellen had been working with the three of them for a while, too, so while Ellen and Bobby held down base camp, Jo came with the three of them to fight Crowley, much to the siblings delight, she was always helpful when it came to taking down demons, and Alyssa always appreciated having another female around.

When they reached Crowley’s mansion, Jo was sent to open the gates for them, since most demons knew Alyssa’s face by now and the four of them were quickly able to kill the demons guarding the place and sneak into the mansion’s grounds.

Jo snuck around the house to cut the power while the three siblings went inside to try to find Crowley. Alyssa and Sam made quick work of drawing a devil’s trap on the underside of one of the rugs while Dean checked the surrounding area for any more demons.

Just as Sam and Alyssa finished, the lights turned off, sending them into darkness, and almost as soon as it happened, Crowley, they assumed, entered the room. “It’s Crowley, right?” Sam asked, pointing a finger towards the demon.

“So, the Winchesters finally found me, took you long enough,” He said, his accent ringing out very clearly to them.

The demon took a few more steps forward, straight onto the rug that Alyssa and Sam worked on, and immediately, Crowley noticed, “Do you have any idea how much this rug costs?” He demanded.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the three siblings were grabbed from behind, Alyssa immediately dropped her gun, trying to fight whoever was holding her back, but her arms ended up getting pinned to her side, rendering her immobile.

And that’s when Crowley flashed them the cult.

“This is it, right? This is what it’s all about?” The demon asked with a grin.

Alyssa watched in terror as Crowley raised the gun towards Dean, but at the last second he shot his three demons holding them back, “We need to talk, privately,” Crowley ordered, gesturing for the three of them to follow him into a separate room.

The siblings cautiously did as he instructed, and as soon as they entered his ‘office’ the door slammed shut behind them, effectively locking them inside the room with a demon. “There’s no reason you or anyone should know this exists, except that I told you,” He said with a smirk, holding up the gun.

“You told us?” Sam asked, frowning.

Crowley shrugged, “Rumors, innuendos, sent out on the grapevine,” The demon grinned.

“Why tell us anything?” Alyssa asked, catching his attention.

As soon as she asked this Dean found the gun in his face once more, “I want you, darling, to take this thing and empty it in his face,” He said with a wink toward her.

She frowned, but was relieved when Crowley lowered the gun, “Uh, okay, and why would you want the devil dead?” Dean asked, skeptically.

“It’s called survival,” The demon growled, “I forgot that you two at best are functioning morons, I’m sure she gets it,” He said, gesturing with the gun towards Alyssa again.

“Hey, you’re functioning… morons,” Dean tried to make a comeback, diverting his attention away from Alyssa once more.

“Lucifer isn’t a demon, remember?” Crowley snarked, “He’s an angel, an angel famous for his hatred of humankind. To him you’re just filthy bags of pus, so if that’s the way he feels about you, what does he feel about us?”

“But he created you?” Sam asked, confused.

The demon laughed, “To him, we’re just servants, cannon fodder. If Lucifer manages to exterminate humankind, we’re next. So, help me, huh? Let’s go back to simpler better times when we could all follow our natures. I’m in sales, damnit! So what do you say if I give you this thing, and you go kill the devil?” He asked, composing himself and holding out the colt.

Slowly, Sam grabbed the gun from the demon, “Great,” He muttered, and Crowley copied him.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where the devil is by any chance, would you?” Alyssa asked, ending the staredown between Sam and Crowley.

“Thursday, my birdies tell me,” Crowley explained, “There’s an appointment in Carthage Missouri.”

She watched as Sam and Dean exchanged a quick glance, then faster than she could comprehend, the Colt was held up against his head, but even when Sam tried to shoot, nothing happened.

“Oh yeah,” Crowley said, looking impassive, “You’ll probably need more ammunition,” He walked around his desk and pulled out a box of bullets, “I’ll give these to the lady, I don’t think she wants to kill me,” He said with a smirk, tossing the box to Alyssa who was frowning at him for his comments.

“Excuse me for asking, but aren’t you kinda signing your own death warrant? I mean what happens to you if we go up against the devil and lose?” Dean said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“Number one, he’s going to wipe us all out anyways,” Crowley explained, “Two, after you three leave here I go on an extended vacation to all points nowhere, and three, how about you don’t _miss_ , okay?” He nearly shouted right before he snapped himself to God knows where.

They found Jo outside at the Impala, just like they planned and the four of them made it back to Bobby’s in record time, thankfully they weren’t too far outside of Sioux Falls to begin with, only about a three hour drive compared to their average seven hour drives.

Once they reunited with Ellen and Bobby it wasn’t long before the drinks came out, and after Alyssa finished her first beer, she could hear Cas calling to her, _“Are you at Bobby’s_ ” He asked in her head, and she nodded at first, thinking that he could see her before she realized he was speaking to her in his head.

 _“Yeah, see you soon_ ” She responded, and as soon as she did, Cas was standing right next to where she was sitting on Bobby’s couch.

“Hey Cas, thanks for the tip back there, we got the colt,” Sam said, raising his drink to the angel.

Alyssa smiled up at the angel who had just turned his attention from Sam to her, “We’re celebrating,” She told him, passing him a beer, “Want one?”

He accepted the beer and went to open it before Ellen stopped him, “No, no, no, you gotta start with some shots, you’re an angel, aren’t ya?” She asked, pulling Cas over to the table by his arm, “One beer’s not going to do nothing to you!”

Alyssa got up and followed Cas to the table once he shot her a confused look, taking the seat next to him while Ellen sat across from them, “Count me in,” Alyssa told the older woman, if they were really celebrating, she wanted to go all out while she could.

Ellen lined up five shots for Cas and one for her and Alyssa, the two women quickly down their shots, Cas watching Alyssa while she did hers, before they turned to him, “All right, big boy,” Ellen waved to Cas with a wink.

Alyssa grinned as Cas grabbed his first shot glass, she wasn’t sure how well this was going to go, but she couldn’t say she was too surprised when he downed all five glasses, one after the other!

“I think I’m starting to feel something,” Cas confessed, looking as stoic as ever, making Alyssa giggle at how ridiculous he was.

Ellen shook her head and walked back to the couch were Jo was sitting and Alyssa turned to face Cas, “You never decide to drink with us, making an exception since this could be our last night on earth?” She asked him, cracking open another beer.

He frowned, “I will not let it be your last night on earth,” Cas said, sternly, his hand moving forward to rest on her knee.

She smiled at him, “Of course you won’t, angel,” She grinned, grabbing his hand and squeezing it lightly.

Her and Cas have been getting along really well since they’d gone on the God hunt together, he’d popped in a lot more often, telling her about his findings, not that they’d got to go on any more hunts together, but she was pretty sure now that they had the colt, he was delaying his attempts to find God, hoping to just kill the devil as soon as possible.

His hand stayed in hers as she dragged him back over the the living room, pushing him down in an armchair this time while she sat on the arm of it, still sipping at her drink but finally releasing his hand.

The four of them chatted before Bobby ushered them all into his office for a picture of their last night on earth, “Oh, come on Bobby, no one wants their picture taken,” Ellen sighed, trudging in the room before Sam.

“Shut up, you’re drinking my beer,” Bobby snarked, as he set up his camera, “Anyway, I’m going to need something to remember your sorry asses by!”

Ellen laughed, “Always good to have an optimist around,” She grinned in Bobby’s direction as he wheeled himself in front of where Alyssa and Cas were standing next to each other.

She was wedged in between Cas and Ellen, her arm around Cas’s shoulders as Sam set one of his hands on hers from where he was standing behind her, and her arm was locked in Ellen’s grip, all of them standing together.

“Bobby’s right,” Castiel added, “Tomorrow we hunt the devil, this is our last night on earth.”

The smile on Alyssa’s face immediately dropped, and she was sure everyone else’s did too just as the camera flashed. The group dispersed quickly after that, everyone mostly going their separate ways, having drunk enough and just needing to get through the night so they could go hunt the devil.

Alyssa found herself sitting on the couch once everyone except for Bobby and Cas had branched off into their respective bedrooms for the night.

“I think I’m going to call it a night,” Bobby announced, wheeling himself out of the living room once the clock hit midnight and bidding the two of them a goodnight.

She was pretty sure she would’ve gone to her room a long time ago if she hadn’t agreed she’d sleep on the couch that night, and now that it was just her and Cas, she was tired. “Did they give you a room for the night?” She asked, settling herself on the couch and pulling a blanket around her shoulders.

Cas was sitting in the middle of the couch, his hands resting on his thighs as he watched her settle down, “No, I told Bobby that I do not require sleep so I would not need a room,” He explained, not bothering to move so she could lay down.

“That must be nice,” She yawned, resting her head on the side of the couch, “So you’re just going to hang out here all night?”

He cocked his head to the side, “Yes, I thought I would just wait here,” He told her, looking around Bobby’s living room, “You should head to your room soon, don’t stay up on my account, we all need to be well rested to attempt to take on the devil,” Cas said after Alyssa felt her eyes fall shut.

She opened them, looking at him again, “I don’t have a room tonight either, I volunteered for couch duty,” Alyssa told him, pulling her legs in a little bit tighter so she wouldn’t be kicking him if she fell asleep soon.

She shouldn’t have bothered pulling her legs close though because as soon as she said she had volunteered to take the couch tonight he shot up, giving her plenty of room to lay down, “I didn’t know, I’m sorry,” He immediately defended.

Shifting around so she could straighten her legs she offered him a smile, “S’okay, you didn’t know, you can still sit down if you’d like,” She offered once she’d settled down, patting the room next to her on the couch.

Slowly, he reclaimed his seat, sitting up stiff as a board as she shifted around on the couch, not quite able to get comfortable, or maybe it was just because she couldn’t get over the fact they were facing the devil tomorrow.

“Sleep, Alyssa, I will watch over you,” Cas said, apparently noticing her discomfort.

She sighed, sitting up, “I can’t fall asleep, I guess I’m just too nervous, I don’t think any of us are getting our eight hours tonight,” She confessed, plopping down on her back.

He raised his hand, almost touching her face, “May I help?” He asked, waiting until she nodded to let his hand fall to her forehead, instantly sending her into a deep sleep.

* * *

When Alyssa woke up Castiel was still in his spot, sitting right next to her and staring at the ground in front of them, “Good morning,” She muttered, turning to the side so she could see him better, “How long was I out for?” She asked, rubbing at her eyes.

He turned to look at her, “About six hours, I heard some noise upstairs and figured you would want time to get ready with your family so I woke you,” He explained.

She furrowed her brow, “Did you really just sit here all night?” She asked, moving to a sitting position next to him.

Cas nodded, “Yes, I told you I’d watch over her,” Alyssa found it oddly sweet that the angel cared about her enough to do that for her, but she didn’t have time to think about it for too long because that was when she heard people upstairs waking up too and decided she had to start getting ready for their suicide mission.

“Thank you, Cas, I’ll be back in a little bit,” She said, hopping to her feet and claiming the downstairs bathroom before anyone else in the house could.

After she showered, she dressed how she normally did, a pair of jeans, her light worn down sneakers, an old t-shirt with a flannel over the shirt, and pulled her hair up into a simple ponytail before she went back into the living room where Ellen and Bobby were already moving around the kitchen.

Alyssa helped herself to a cup of coffee and quickly scrambled up some eggs for herself, plopping herself at the kitchen table once she was finished and watching as everyone else eventually filed into the room.

“What’s that?” Alyssa put her coffee down when she heard Cas speaking over her shoulder, staring at her drink.

“It’s coffee, want some? Wakes you up,” She explained, offering the cup to him.

He accepted it after a second of inspection and took a sip, frowning when he pulled away, “It’s very potent,” He said, setting the cup down back in front of her.

She laughed at his expression, “I should’ve warned you but I didn’t think it would bother you, especially since you downed five shots last night,” She said, sipping at her coffee again.

Cas chose to take the seat next to her after that, which was another thing she’d noticed after they’d went on his God hunt together, he was always by her side whenever he could get near her, even when it was just the two of them, if anything it was sweet, clearly he trusted her and it made her happy she could be there for him that way, maybe it was because of the ‘bond’ he’d mentioned before, but he hadn’t brought that up in a long time.

Soon enough everyone had some breakfast and they decided to get a move on, Alyssa moved to get in the backseat of the impala, Cas practically glued to her back, and soon enough they were moving off to Missouri! The car ride was long and everyone’s nervous energy made it that much longer. Every once in a while they’d get a call from Jo and Ellen’s car, but soon enough they were pulling up in Carthage, the dread hitting them full force.

“You getting a signal?” Sam asked her, checking his phone.

She shook her head, holding her phone up as high as she could, “No, nothing, nice and spooky,” She tried to joke.

Jo and Ellen’s car pulled up next to them, “Place seem a little empty to you?” Ellen asked through her rolled down window.

Dean nodded, “Sam and I going to go check out PD, we’ll leave you with Cas and Alyssa, stay here, see if you could find anyone,” He instructed, and in the next instant, Alyssa found herself standing next to Cas outside of the impala.

“Ever hear of a door handle?” Jo asked with a laugh.

Cas froze, narrowing his eyes, “Of course I have,” He said.

Dean and Sam drove off after that and then Ellen and Jo got out of the car, joining Alyssa and Cas out on the street as Cas looked around the place, like he could see something they couldn’t.

“What is it?” Alyssa asked, tugging at his sleeve.

“This town isn’t empty,” Cas told them, turning into the group of three people, putting his back to whatever he was just looking at.

“What’s here?” Jo asked, looking around.

Cas spared another glance around, “Reapers,” He explained.

Ellen’s eyes widened, “Reapers? As in more than one?” She asked.

Cas nodded, eyes still darting all over the place, “They only gather like this at times of great catastrophe. Chicago fire, San Francisco earthquakes, Pompeii,” He explained, “I need to find out why they’re here,” He said.

He turned once more, this time dragging Alyssa forward with him, almost like he wanted them to speak privately. She shot Ellen and Jo and apathetic look before following Cas a little ways away, “Will you be alright if I leave you here?” He asked, holding her by the shoulders almost too tightly.

She nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be fine, I’ll stick with Ellen and Jo, don’t worry, and I’ll call you if I need anything,” She assured him, knowing that whatever he had to do was bound to be helpful for them.

Cas seemed to hesitate, but he nodded, “Alright, I’ll be back,” He said again, taking one more deep breath before he turned away from her and started walking away.

Alyssa turned back to Jo and Ellen, the three of them deciding to meet back up with Sam and Dean while they weren’t with an angel anymore. It didn’t take long to find the brothers and park their cars, going through the town on their feet. Once they were reunited they loaded themselves up with weapons, prepared for anything that might come their way while they were looking for Lucifer.

“Well this is great, we’ve been in town for twenty minutes and we’ve already lost the angel up our sleeve,” Dean muttered, gun in hands as the five of them stayed on high alert.

“You think Lucifer got him?” Sam asked, anxiously, and a pang of fear struck Alyssa, he couldn’t have been attacked already, could he?

She desperately tried calling out to Cas in her head, but there was no answer from him, just silence! Alyssa could barely hear what was going on with her family around her as she kept calling out to him, hoping he could hear her or at least answer her, but there was nothing!

She was only stopped in place when she heard Meg’s voice from behind them, mocking them, “Shouldn’t have come here,” She said with a grin once they noticed her.

“Hell I could say the same thing about you,” Dean said, aiming the colt at her head.

She didn’t looked phased in the slightest though, “Didn’t come here alone, Deano,” She smiled.

The next thing they knew there was growling from all around them, “Hellhounds,” Alyssa spoke, staring at where one was clearly stepping in a puddle by Meg’s feet.

“Yeah, Dean’s favorite, now come on Winchesters, my father wants to see you,” She ordered.

Next thing she knew they were firing at invisible dogs, and running for their lives! It would’ve been fine too, if it weren’t for Dean getting tackled by a dog, and Jo trying to help him out, the poor girl ended up with a torn up side with them locked in a building that looked like it was falling apart with every second.

Ellen was attached to Jo, helping her sit down and trying to stop her side from bleeding, “Need some help here!” She demanded,eyes watering.

Alyssa immediately started to help bandage Jo up, using her flannel as a bandage in whatever way she could get the bleeding to stop, and once Sam and Dean had the building demon proofed, Ellen and herself had stopped Jo’s bleeding, for the most part.

 _“Cas, please,_ ” Alyssa thought desperately, not knowing what else to do at the moment.

“Hey, you heard Meg, her father’s out there, this is our one shot, we gotta take it,” Alyssa hear Dean arguing and she left Ellen’s side to go see what her brothers were talking about.

When she got there, Dean had gotten his radio to work and had managed to contact Bobby, much to their relief, “Bobby, it’s Dean, we’ve got problems,” He said.

“Is everyone alright?” Bobby asked immediately.

Dean sighed, “No, it’s- it’s Jo, it’s pretty bad,” Alyssa couldn’t help but to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, wanting to tell him it was going to be okay, but the longer Cas was gone, the less hopeful she felt.

While Dean and Bobby talked, Alyssa spent the whole time sitting by him, just trying to comfort him as Bobby tried to help them out in the only way that he could at the moment, they figured out that Lucifer was planning on summoning Death, that’s why there was so many reapers in town, not making any of them feel any safer. It was a while before they hung up on Bobby, deciding they couldn’t just sit around anymore, they had to get out of there and kill Lucifer while they still had the chance.

“We could get a stretcher?” Dean suggested, gesturing towards Jo.

“Stop,” Jo said, “Can we just, uh, be realistic about this, please?” She practically begged, wincing as she held her side, “I can’t move my legs, I can’t be moved, my guts are barely being held in, we gotta- get our priorities straight here. Number one, I’m not going anywhere,” She said.

Ellen immediately stepped forward, “Joanna Beth, you stop talking like that!” She scolded.

Jo didn’t waste any time cutting her off, “Mom! I can’t fight, I can’t walk, but I can do something; we got propane, wiring, rock salt, iron nails, everything we need to build a bomb,” Jo said with a sad smile.

Ellen, of course, shut down Jo’s idea right away, but from what Alyssa could see, that was the only option, there was no other way they’d get out of here with the hellhounds surrounding them, and once Jo had convinced them she wasn’t changing her mind, Ellen decided she wasn’t going to leave her daughter.

Once the bomb was built it was a long drawn out goodbye before Ellen practically pushed them out the door, sealing the Harvelle’s fate. The three of them practically jumped down the fire escape, running down the alley as fast as they could, they wanted to be nowhere near the building when it exploded, and just as they reached the end of the alley, it did. Alyssa held back a sob as Sam pulled her forward, they had no time to mourn now, they could only focus on getting to Lucifer before it was too late.

They found themselves in a large field just outside of town after that, staring down dozen of men who were standing attention, “Guess we found out what happened to some of the townspeople,” Dean groaned.

“Last words?” Sam asked, looking between Alyssa and Dean.

Dean furrowed his brow, “I think I’m good.”

“Me too,” Her and Sam agreed.

“Here goes nothing,” Dean said.

The three of them straightened up, and as soon as they did that they were able to see Lucifer filling up a deep hole, “Hey!” Sam charged, holding up a shotgun, “You wanted to see me?”

Lucifer smiled, “Oh Sam, you know I’d never hurt you, not really, you don’t need that gun here,” He offered false security.

That’s when her and Dean revealed themselves, “Yeah, well I’d hurt you!” Her oldest brother said, shoving the colt straight up against Lucifer’s head, “So suck it!”

He fired, sending a bullet straight through Lucifer’s skull, forcing him to collapse on the ground. Alyssa let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding before she saw Lucifer’s body groaning and _coming back to life_.

The fallen angel stood up, rubbing at his head, looking pissed, “Where did you get that?” He asked, and before Alyssa knew what was happening, he’d flung out a hand towards the two of them, sending her and Dean flying backwards.

Her head was fuzzy, she couldn’t hear what anyone was saying anymore, there was just a pounding in her ears. Alyssa opened her eyes after a minute only to see Sam and Lucifer staring each other down, the colt laying by Dean’s limp arm.

They weren’t going to be able to get out of there, they needed help, they needed Cas. She managed to push herself up on her feet, not catching anyone’s attention as she retreated from the showdown and stumbled back towards the town. There were so many buildings, she had no clue where Cas could be, if he even was in any of them, she had no way of knowing which one he was in.

Her head was still spinning as she tried to figure out what she should do, she couldn’t think, she was so confused, and overwhelmed. She felt herself falling against the side of the building she was nearest to, her eyes falling shut as she tried to ease the pain tearing at her head.

She felt her knees buckle, she was sure she was going to collapse, if it weren’t for a bright blue light starting to glow right in front of her. Her eyes opened, seeing her glowing pendant in front of her face, “Cas?” She asked, and the next thing she knew, she was heading into a new run down building, knowing exactly where to go.

Alyssa ran down the stairs, her necklace glowing brighter with every step that she took until she reached the basement, falling silent as soon as she did. In her direct line of view was Cas, trapped in a ring of fire, with Meg standing in front of him.

She crouched down, not wanting Meg to know she was there, but sadly not having caught Cas’ attention, “You don’t know Crowley,” Meg grinned, clearly pleased to be taunting Cas.

“He believes Lucifer is just using demons to achieve and end,” Cas countered, “And that, once he does, he’ll destroy you all.”

Meg shook her head, laughing, “You’re wrong, Lucifer is the father of our race. Our Creator! Your God may be a deadbeat, but mine? Mine walks the earth!”

Alyssa peaked out from behind the wall she was hiding behind just in time to see a pipe swing forward and slam Meg into the ring of holy fire with Castiel. The angel pressed his palm to her forehead, but nothing happened, much to his confusion.

She laughed again, “You can’t gank demons, can you? You’re cut off from the home office and you ain’t got the juice! So what can you do, you impotent sap?” She snarled.

“I can do this,” The angel said, leaning into Meg, looking almost like he was going to kiss her...

That was when Alyssa decided she should reveal herself, not quite noticing the encounter she was interrupting, but she could get him out of the holy fire before he did something stupid, “Cas!” She cried, and the instant she shouted his name, he dropped Meg straight onto the holy fire.

The demon screamed as Cas stared at Alyssa before walking over Meg’s body to release himself from his confines.

“Cas,” She repeated, eyes wide as her necklace finally stopped glowing and this time she really felt her legs give out underneath her.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she felt arms catch her before she could hit the ground, pulling her up into a warm body, and that was the last thing she remembered before she passed out.

* * *

She could feel someone running their hands through her hair from where she was laying down, it was comfortable and she was happy to have the contact her and her brothers normally didn’t share with each other, briefly she wondered if it was one of them.

After a few more minutes of just enjoying the sensation, she finally cracked her eyes open, groaning as she did so.

Looking around, she realized she was laying down on Bobby’s living room couch, her head propped up on a pillow and her body curled up tightly underneath a heavy blanket. It didn’t take her long to realize that someone was sitting by her head due to the dip in the couch above her.

The fingers wrapped up in her head stilled, realizing she was awake, but didn’t pull away, “I’m glad you’re awake,” Cas’ deep voice rang through her ears.

She sighed, not bothering to sit up, just turning around on her back so she could get a better look at the angel, his hand detangling itself from her hair once she moved, “Where is everyone?” She asked, noticing how hard her head was pounding when she started to move.

Cas looked towards the stairs, “Sam and Dean are both upstairs, resting, they both knocked out once I took you all back here, and Bobby is in his office I believe, he hasn’t spoken much,” He told her.

Alyssa let out a sigh she didn’t know she was holding in, at least her brothers were here and they were alright, but then she remembered Jo and Ellen, something she’d been too caught up in Adrenalin with before to be able to really focus on. As soon as the two women entered her mind it was like a dam broke in her head and all she could think about was what had happened less than a day ago.

She blinked, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill, she didn’t like to cry in front of her brothers, and she sure as hell wasn’t about to cry in front of an angel she’d known for less than a year. She sat up, pulling her blanket up with her, taking deep breaths as she did so.

“Are you… okay?” She heard Cas ask, but she couldn’t really answer him, she couldn’t focus on anything except for how hard she was trying not to break down.

Cas was about to ask herself something else when the two of them heard noises coming from upstairs and in the next instant, Alyssa found herself sitting on a comfortable bed, her blanket still around her shoulders and Cas standing by her side.

She gasped, nearly falling backwards on the bed but catching herself at the last second, “What?” She asked, stupidly, looking up towards Castiel.

“I thought you could use some privacy,” He explained, glancing around the empty guest room, looking pretty pleased with his decision.

It was a nice gesture, one she couldn’t help but get even more choked up over but she still forced it back, “Thanks Cas, I need that… Could you, um…?” She trailed off, not wanting to kick him out but he did bring her up here so that she could be alone, he wouldn’t be too upset if she asked him to leave.

Thankfully, he got what she was asking and shuffled around with a nod in her direction, “Of course, you take as long as you need, and I’ll tell your brothers that you’re still asleep,” He said, disappearing from sight as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

As soon as he was gone she let herself go and the tears started to fall rapidly, and she wasn’t sure if she could get them to stop anytime soon. She didn’t know how long she spent crying over the loss of Jo and Ellen, they were like family to her, and to just lose them so quickly, she couldn’t even comprehend.

After what felt like hours, she finally straightened herself up enough to be able to drag herself downstairs, where everyone else seemed to be just as solemn as she felt. When she entered the living room again, the TV was on, broadcasting the devastating news of flash floods and tornadoes that they couldn’t seem to avoid, she saw Cas sitting at the table they had done shots at the night before while her family stood around the fireplace, staring at something Bobby had just thrown into the flames.

“Enough moping around,” Bobby said finally, ending the silence between the room, “You three need to get back on the road again,” He said, pointing towards the siblings.

Alyssa looked up from where she was sitting on the couch fiddling with her necklace, “I dunno, Bobby,” She muttered, noticing the downtrodden look Sam and Dean shared with one another.

Bobby shook his head, “I’ll be doing enough moping for the three of you by the time you get back out there, this ain’t healthy, I’ve got a couple cases out west, you up for it?” He pressed a little bit harder this time.

She was the first to stand up, rubbing her palms on her jeans, “Yeah, yeah, maybe you’re right, I’ll be ready after a quick shower,” She said with a shrug to Sam and Dean who were pretty quick to follow her lead.

By the time she was done packing a bag and cleaning herself up she was upset to realize she was the first one ready to go, which gave her that much more time to think again, at least until Castiel zapped himself next to her, “Are you sure you’re ready to get back on the road so quickly? I’ve come to understand humans need time to grieve-” He began.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, it’ll be good getting out with my brothers and having something to distract myself with,” She explained, “In this field, we don’t really have time to grieve, anyways.”

Cas furrowed his brow, “I can take you away, from all of it if you’d like, give you some time to yourself to _grieve_ , you’ll need the time,” He persisted, inching closer to her side, “I can stop time for you if you need more of it, I can take you away from this for as long as you need,” He continued, really selling it to her.

But she couldn’t take it, she needed to stick with her brothers, especially at a time like this, “Thank you Castiel, it’s thoughtful, but I need to stay with Sam and Dean, time to myself is important, but family always comes first,” She explained to him.

He nodded, looking down at his feet, clearly not too happy with her answer but she was glad he wasn’t going to push it at the moment, “If you change your mind, you let me know,” He ordered, and Alyssa swore she felt the pendant grow warm against her neck.

“Thanks Cas,” She grinned just as Sam and Dean came thundering down the stairs.

“You ready, lys?” Sam asked, grabbing an apple off Bobby’s counter.

She nodded, popping up from the chair she was sitting on and hiking her packed bag over her shoulder, “Yessir!” She answered, trying to muster up enough enthusiasm as she possibly could due to their circumstances, “Let’s get going.”

It didn’t take long for the three of them to send a quick goodbye to Bobby and Cas before they were clamoring back into the impala and heading out west to work on a small wendigo case Bobby had picked up, sitting in silence as they started their trip, the events from the day before too fresh in their minds for them to just let go at the moment, all of them hoping that they'd be able to distract themselves for at least a little while. 


	9. Chapter 9

Frankly, Alyssa didn’t think she could look at one more body part as she picked up another cold packaged organ and popped it open, listening as her brothers looked over the two hearts, before Dean got up to call Cas on the phone. 

As soon as he heard the familiar flapping of his wings she couldn’t help but to perk up, feeling bored and like her brothers were ignoring her, “Cas!” She almost yelped as he appeared face to face with Dean, much to the room’s confusion. 

“I’m here,” He announced, looking over Dean’s shoulder towards Alyssa. 

She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her head, but every time she tried to look down at the organ she held in her gloved hands, her thoughts wandered towards the angel in the room with them. But the second he spoke up she couldn’t even attempt to distract herself with the organs in front of her. 

“I’m going to hang up now,” Cas announced putting his phone back into his coat pocket, to which Dean nodded. 

Alyssa watched as Cas picked up one of the hearts on the table in front of her, shooting her a curious look as he did so, and clearing his throat before speaking up again, “You’re right Sam. These are angelic marks, I imagine you’ll find similar marks on the other couple’s hearts as well-” He began before Alyssa cut him off. 

“So, what are they? I mean, what do they mean?” She asked, which was pretty out of character considering it was normally Sam or Dean grilling the angel but she found she couldn’t really help herself. 

Cas looked at her again, setting down the heart as he walked around the table to stand next to her, “It’s a mark of union, this man and woman were intended to mate,” He explained, his open trench coat brushing up against her arm. 

“Who would’ve put them there?” She asked again, stripping herself of her gloves and turning to face him. 

He tilted his head as he looked down at her, “Your people call them Cupid,” Cas explained, while her two brothers stayed silent and Alyssa continued her questions. 

“Cupid?” She asked again. 

“What human myth has mistaken for Cupid is actually a lower order of angel. Technically it’s a cherub, third-class,” He explained, his hand moving to her side and grazing her shoulder, sending shivers down her spine. 

“Cherub?” Dean perked up, glancing back and forth between the two of them. 

Cas cleared his throat once more, “Yes, they’re all over the world, there are dozens of them, and I’m saying that a Cupid has gone rogue and we have to stop him- before he kills again,” The angel growled out, sounding very upset. 

“You mean the little flying fat kid in diapers?” Dean asked, looking miffed.

Cas looked confused, “They’re not… incontinent,” He explained.

“So what you’re saying is…” Sam began, but Cas shot him a warning look. 

“What I’m saying is a Cupid has gone rogue and we have to stop him before he kills again,” The angel explained, looking down at the organs Alyssa had been observing. 

She brushed some hair out of her eyes, looking up at Castiel, “Of course we do,” She said with a sigh. 

* * *

Cas was quick to zap them off to a restaurant he claimed Cupid would be at, and the four of them were seated at a table, Sam and Dean in the chairs across from Alyssa and Cas. 

“So what?” Dean asked when their food arrived, “You just happen to know he likes the cosmos at this place?” He asked with a chuckle. 

Castiel shifted around in his seat, sliding himself sideways until his thigh was flush against Alyssa’s, causing her to jump in confusion and she made to move away, but she found she couldn’t when the angel stilled her with a hand to her leg. “This place is a nexus of human reproduction. It’s exactly the kind of-” He paused, watching as Alyssa grabbed the napkin from the table and put it over her lap and covering his hand, accidentally brushing against his leg, “Of garden the Cupid will come to- to pollinate,” He explained. 

Alyssa grabbed at her food finally, having made the dumb decision to skip breakfast she’d been feeling pretty hungry all day, pretty much starving, but once she started eating, she frowned, the food didn’t seem to settle her appetite at all.

She looked up to Castiel, ready to ask him where the Cupid could be so she could distract herself from how  _ starving _ she was, but his eyes were focused intensely on a couple in a booth a few tables away, the pair falling all over one another, “He’s here,” He announced, making Alyssa drop her utensils as she looked around for anything that could’ve been a Cupid… 

“Where? I don’t see anything…” Sam said looking around the restaurant with his siblings looking just as confused as he was. 

Castiel nodded towards the couple, “There,” He told them. 

“The couple in the booth,” Alyssa asked, looking to Cas for clarification. 

“You mean the same-side-of-the-booth couple?” Dean frowned. 

Alyssa suddenly felt Cas’ large hand grab onto hers under the table and she made way to tell him off before he spoke up again, cutting her off, “Meet us in the back,” He said and in the next second Alyssa found herself on her feet, falling straight into the angel’s warm back. 

“Cas!” She gasped as he grabbed her to steady her before reaching his hand out towards something she couldn’t see, “What are you doing?” She asked, practically having to rip herself out of his grip, but she wasn’t quite sure who was making it harder to leave his side. 

That’s when her two brothers came running into the back, “Cas, Alyssa,” Sam breathed, “Where is he?” He asked, just as confused as Alyssa was. 

“I have him tethered,” Cas grit out, “Zoda Kama Mahrana,” He chanted, much to the siblings further confusion, “Manifest yourself!” 

Alyssa looked at the spot Cas apparently had the Cupid tethered, but no one appeared, “Where is he?” She asked, voicing everyone’s thoughts. 

Cas lowered his arm and turned to face the Winchester’s but his eyes were focused somewhere else, “Here I am!” A cheerful man’s voice ran out and Alyssa spun around with Cas to see her brother getting wrapped up in a very naked man’s embrace. 

Her cheeks flushed red and she couldn’t help but let out at laugh at her brother’s reaction to the Cupid. “Help!” Dean wheezed, looking very caught off guard. 

“Oh help is on the way, yes it is!” The Cupid grinned, just as he noticed Castiel and Alyssa, “Hello, you!” 

Cas pulled Alyssa back by her shoulder, stepping in front of her before the Cupid could pull her into a hug, instead the Cupid wrapped Cas up into his tight grip and with his long arms pulled Alyssa into the hug too, pinning her to Cas’ back. Her face was pressed tightly against the angel’s back, eyes wide in surprise but happy to not be the one who was pressed up against the naked man’s body. 

Soon enough the Cupid let go of the duo and quickly moved onto Sam, leaving Alyssa to pry herself away from Castiel, “Sorry about that,” She whispered to the angel, hoping he wouldn’t be too embarrassed by the display of affection that she almost enjoyed. 

“Is this a fight? Are we in a fight?” Dean demanded to know as the Cupid took his time hugging Sam. 

Castiel sighed, straightening out his coat, “This is… their handshake,” He explained. 

“I don’t like it,” Dean groaned. 

“No one does,” Cas said, causing Alyssa to snicker under her breath as she finally got a good look at Sam wrapped up in the Cupid’s embrace. 

Finally, the Cupid had greeted all of them and he released Sam, “What can I do for you?” He asked, grinning widely. 

Castiel was the first one to speak up, “Why are you doing this?” He demanded to know. 

The Cupid cocked his head, “Doing what?” He questioned. 

“Your targets-” He explained, “The ones you’ve marked, they’re slaughtering each other!” 

The Cupid’s eyes went wide in shock, “What, they are?” He stuttered, sounding very hurt by this proclamation. “That can’t be true! You’re still alive!” He exclaimed, pointing towards Alyssa, much to her confusion. 

“What?” She frowned, not liking where the conversation was heading, but clearly that wasn’t anyone’s priority at the moment. 

“Listen Birthday suit,” Dean accused, “We know okay? We know you’ve been flitting around, popping people with your poison arrow, making them murder each other!” 

“What we don’t know is why!” Castiel continued. 

The Cupid walked past where Castiel and Alyssa were standing, looking even more upset than he did previously, “You think that I… Well, uh, I don’t know what to say…” He trailed off, and before anyone knew what was happening, The Cupid started to cry. 

“Should…” Sam stuttered, shifting around awkwardly, “Should somebody maybe… go talk to him?” He suggested. 

Alyssa rolled her eyes, “Honestly, Cas you’re somewhat related right? You’d be best to calm him down,” She said, gently prodding at his back. 

The angel looked down at her frowning as her hand slid off his back, before he walked forward to talk to the Cupid. “Um, look,” He began, “We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” The stoic angel offered, right before the Cupid pulled him into another bone crushing hug, nearly sobbing. 

“Love is more than a word to me, you know? I love love! I love it! And if that’s wrong I don’t want to be right,” The cupid cried into Cas’ shoulder. 

Cas glanced back at the siblings, looking confused as he pat the Cupid on the back, “Yes, yes, of course… I uh, I have no idea what you’re saying,” He finished, frowning. 

“I was just on appointed rounds, whatever my targets do it’s nothing to do with me! I was following my orders, please, brother, please read my mind,” The cupid begged. 

Cas quickly got to his feet, “He’s telling the truth,” He said to the siblings. 

The Cupid looked relieved, but not for too long, “Wait, you said you were just following orders?” Dean grilled, narrowing his eyes, “Whose orders?” He demanded. 

“Whose? Heaven’s silly!” The cupid said with a dopey grin. 

“Why does heaven care if Harry meets Sally?” Dean frowned. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but be curious about that herself, especially after the comment that the Cupid had made earlier, but she let it slide for now, her head was a little fuzzy, after all. 

“Oh mostly they don’t,” Cupid explained, “You know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies, like yours,” He grinned, pointing towards Sam and Dean. 

“What?” Sam asked, dumbly. 

The cupid nodded, looking smug, “Yeah, the union of John and Mary Winchester; very big deal upstairs, top priority arrangement!” He explained to them, looking pleased. 

“You’re saying you fixed up their parents?” Alyssa asked after a minute, wanting to become part of the conversation. 

He shrugged, “Well not me, but yeah, and it wasn’t easy, they couldn’t stand each other at first, but when we were done with them, perfect couple!” The cupid said proudly. 

“They’re dead,” Dean growled, not liking where the conversation was heading. 

“I’m sorry, but the orders were very clear, you and Sam needed to be born, your parents were just meant to be!” The cupid grinned, “A match made in heaven!” He sang, happily. 

But his singing was cut off just as soon as it started when Dean surged forward and punched the Cupid straight across the face, “Son of a bitch!” Her brother cursed, rubbing at his knuckles as the Cupid escaped from the room in an instant, “Where is he? Where’d he go?” Dean demanded. 

“I believe you upset him,” Cas said, startling Alyssa when she realized he was right by her side. 

“Upset him?” Dean shouted. 

Alyssa rolled her eyes, “You just punched a Cupid!” She argued. 

“I punched a dick,” He growled. 

Sam shot him a look too now, “Um… Are we going to talk about what’s been up with you lately or not?” He asked, hesitantly. 

“Or not,” Dean shot back, immediately shutting him down. 

“So what now?” Alyssa asked, her eyes darting back and forth between her brothers and Cas. 

The angel let his hand fall on her shoulder and she felt the hair on the back of her neck raise, but ignored the sensation best she could, “I will look around, try to find out what’s causing these deaths, you three should go back to the Medical Center, see if they found anything new,” Cas instructed, his hand flexing around her shoulder as he spoke, “I will find you soon,” He said, and with one last squeeze, he’d disappeared, leaving Alyssa feeling much colder than she was before. 

“You heard him, let’s get looking,” Dean said, leading the way out the restaurant and back into the impala where they set off towards the Medical Center. 

The doctor didn’t seem too surprised to find her and Sam back there, while Dean had gone off to investigate some police reports, the doctor telling them that he was just about to call them about another mysterious case anyways. Apparently another man had eaten himself to death, leaving them even more stumped because this guy definitely wasn’t marked by cupid! 

Alyssa moved to head back to the motel, Sam telling her he was just going to go tie up some loose ends before he met her back there, she wished she hadn’t left him though because when he got back to the hotel he had a briefcase in hand, claiming that he’d taken it from a demon! 

“What the hell does a demon have to do with this anyways?” Dean demanded. 

“Believe me,” Sam sighed, “I’ve got no idea.” 

Alyssa furrowed her brow, noticing the distant look in her brother’s eye, “You okay?” She asked, sympathetically. 

He looked down at her, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be alright,” He assured her. 

Dean rubbed his hands together, “Let’s crack her open, what’s the worst that could happen?” Dean asked with a shrug. 

What happened was the last thing that the three of them expected. 

She shielded her eyes when the briefcase was opened and the bright light fled from the case as quickly as it appeared. “What was that?” She breathed, grabbing onto Dean’s sleeve. 

Suddenly, there were two strong arms wrapped around her and she groaned as she was pulled back into a warm body, but this time she didn’t fight him as much as she did in the restaurant, just prodded at him for a moment with her elbow before he growled low in her ear, shaking her straight to her core and stilling her without him having to utter a word. 

“It’s a human soul, this is starting to make sense,” He explained as he tightened his grip on the small hunter clinging to him before laying his chin down on her head, ignoring the strange looks the brothers were shooting him. 

“When did you get so hands on?” Dean asked, much to Alyssa’s pleasure, or she thought she would’ve appreciated someone trying to help her out… right? 

Cas nodded, his arms shifting further around her so that his one hand could play with a strand of her hair, “My hunger, it’s a clue actually, one that I should be able to keep under control for the most part.” 

“A clue?” Alyssa asked, tilting her head up to try and get some space from him, but he wasn’t budging. 

“This town isn’t suffering from some love gone wrong effect, it’s suffering from hunger, starvation to be in fact… specifically famine,” He told the Winchester’s as he leaned onto Alyssa, his head slipping down so he was now resting on her shoulder. 

“Fantastic,” Alyssa muttered under her breath. 

She jerked upright when Cas’ scruff tickled her neck, “What was that?” He asked, turning his face into her skin and inhaling deeply. 

Her face turned beat red as she watched her brothers respond to the awkward scene they were witnessing, “N-nothing, uhm are you talking about the horseman, famine? Uh why are people hungry for things other than food though?” She asked, turning her face away from the touchy angel. 

“Mm,” He hummed, still resting his head on her shoulder but moving out of her neck again, “Yes, absolutely, but not just food, everyone seems to be starving for something, sex, attention, drugs, love…” He trailed off, his hands digging into Alyssa’s sides. 

Dean cleared his throat, catching Cas’ attention so that the angel straightened up, seeming to realize his place again, “Well, that explains the puppy lovers that Cupid shot up,” He scoffed. 

“Right, the Cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came and made them rabid for it,” He explained, his fingers twitching against Alyssa’s body in what she could only describe as self restraint. 

Dean furrowed his brows, “Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels crave… well just look at yourself,” He frowned, clearly not wanting to go into details about what the angel could’ve been craving towards his sister. 

Alyssa felt Cas’ breath on her shoulder, “It’s my vessel, Jimmy- his, uh, time as my vessel hasn’t offered him the emotional support a normal human receives, my best guess is that he could be described as _ touch starved _ ,” He explained, much to the brother’s discomfort. 

“So,” Dean cleared his throat again, “Famine just rolls into town and everybody goes crazy?” 

Alyssa shuddered as Castiel took another deep breath, shoving his face back into her neck, “And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty, and great will be the Horseman’s hunger, for he is hunger. And his hunger will seep out and poison the air,” He recited, making the hair on the back of her neck stick up, “Famine is hungry and he must devour the souls of his victims,” He explained, sounding like he was almost speaking to himself more than the rest of them in the room. “Lucifer has sent his demons to take care of Famine, to feed him, to make certain he’ll be ready…” 

She felt his hand latch onto hers, giving her the courage to ask her next question, “Ready for what?” Alyssa asked. 

“To march across the land,” He said solemnly, his words whispered into her skin before he perked up and seemed to notice that he’d glued himself to Alyssa, finally releasing her from his tight grip, to which she quickly responded by excusing herself to the bathroom before she could be caught in his grip again. 

When she left the bathroom her brothers were still talking about the horseman, “Famine?” Dean asked incredulously, as if he could’ve heard Cas’ rant before wrong. 

Cas nodded, his eyes locked on Alyssa as soon as she returned to their conversation not feeling like she could take up any more time by herself, the three of them so engrossed in the conversation going on that none of them noticed Sam slip away into the bathroom after her. In a second, Castiel was behind Alyssa again, causing her to yelp when he pulled her down straight onto his lap where he decided to sit on the lone armchair. 

“Yes, famine,” He repeated. 

Alyssa tried to push herself off of him, but he wasn’t having it, “So, this whole town is going to starve itself to death?” She asked, squirming around on top of him. 

He hummed and let out a low groan when Alyssa tried to shove him away once more, “We should stop it,” Cas commented, stilling Alyssa’s movements with a quick tug at her waist. 

“Yeah, that’s a great idea,” Dean said, shifting back and forth on his feet, “How?” 

“How did you stop the last Horseman you met?” Castiel asked curiously. 

Dean shrugged, “War got his mojo from his ring, and after we cut it off he just tucked tail and ran. And everybody that was affected by it, it was like they woke up from a dream-” Her older brother paused, “You think Famine’s got a ring too?”    


Cas nodded enthusiastically against Alyssa’s shoulder, “I know he does.” 

“Well, okay, let’s track him down and get to chopping,” Dean decided, standing up and moving to go grab his jacket. “And you gotta let go of her man, we can’t gank a Horseman with her like that!” He exclaimed. 

However, the angel didn’t seem quite too prone to listening at that moment, “I’ve developed a want for affection,” Cas said with a shrug. 

“You’re not even trying to stop it!” Alyssa argued, once more attempting to awkwardly elbow him to get him to release her again. 

“I’m an angel, I can stop anytime I want,” He argued back, his grip loosening so Alyssa was able to slip back to her side of the room where she grabbed her jacket. 

She slipped on her jacket and spun back around to get to the door, but found her path blocked by Cas’ much larger frame. 

“Jeeeeez, Cas,” She breathed, jumping up when she almost collided with him, “I know you’re fighting your famine right now, but personal space,” Alyssa laughed breathily, moving to walk around him. 

He caught her easily though, spinning her around so her back was to his chest once more, just as Dean turned to speak to the angel once more, “You’ve got to be kidding,” Alyssa muttered. 

“You gotta get him out of here,” Dean demanded, pointing towards Sam, who Alyssa finally got a good look at… and he didn’t look good! “You gotta beam him to Montana, anywhere but here!” 

“It won’t work, he’s already infected, the hunger will just travel with him,” The stoic angel explained. 

“What’s wrong with him?” She asked, trying to run into the bathroom after her brother but being stopped by the strong arms around her body. 

Dean looked pissed, “Demon blood, it’s his hunger,” He explained. 

Alyssa’s breath caught, this was too much for her to handle, they couldn’t go through this again, “We’ve got to go cut his finger off,” She said, looking up to Cas for approval again.  

“Guys,” Sam breathed, “Before you go, you better lock me down- and good,” He warned them. 

Dean was quick to march over to his suitcase and grab a pair of silver cuffs they had on hand, leaving Cas and Alyssa alone once more, the two of them not even realizing it, “Cas?” She asked, her eyes fluttering closed as he moved to cup her cheek in his large hand. 

He quirked his head to the side, looking down at her from under long lashes, “Yes, Alyssa?” Cas asked, the two of them looking like they belonged in some cheesy rom-com. 

She didn’t look away from him though, for some reason she couldn’t even when she heard Dean and Sam exchanging their goodbyes, “I-uh, do you think, that I-” Before she could finish her sentence she was cut off by her older brother leaving the bathroom and locking the door behind him. 

“Let’s end this Son of a bitch,” He grinned, before heading out the door, leaving Cas and Alyssa to follow him. 

Alyssa cleared her throat, “Let’s go, then” She offered, and to her surprise he let her go and followed her straight out of the motel room and into the impala. 

She was deemed to be the one to wait in the car when Dean and Cas decided to go talk to the doctor, which she wasn’t upset about, Cas needed to be there to help Dean with any clues, and Dean was Dean… he was going to figure this out no matter what. All in all, it took them a little less than a half hour to show back up in the impala where Alyssa was more than anxiously waiting. 

“You guys took forever!” She complained, leaning forward between the two front seats so she could chastise the two men better, “I was so lonely in here!” She practically whined. 

Castiel smiled adoringly at her while Dean shot her a frown, “It was twenty minutes Alyssa, chill,” Her brother laughed, tussling her hair a little bit. 

Alyssa shot him a scowl before turning towards Cas, grabbing onto his shoulder, “What happened in there?” She asked eagerly. 

In the next second she found herself very confused when Cas had suddenly just disappeared from under her hands and she was being pulled backwards into what had become a familiar warm body, “We went to go speak to the doctor, he drank himself to death, famine is reaching everyone,” The angel explained as he nuzzled his nose into the back of her neck in a rather cute way. 

“Are you two serious?” Dean complained, looking at the two of them through his rear-view mirror, rolling his eyes as he did so. 

Alyssa just rolled her eyes back at him though, “You’re just jealous that I’m getting all of Cas’ attention now,” She shot back to her older brother, sticking her tongue out childishly. 

“Cas?” Dean asked, hoping to get support somewhere. 

The angel hummed in response, “This makes me very happy,” Was his only response before he went back to doting on Alyssa, or she thought he was going to before he seemed to sober up and realize something, “What I don’t understand is where is your hunger Dean?” He asked. 

Alyssa almost let out a whine and started to reach out to grab him by the jaw to pull him back, but shook her head, realizing what she was about to do at the last minute and allowed herself to focus on Dean… he didn’t show any hunger, but did she show any? Her mind became very fuzzy when she tried to focus on that new thought, and she tried to clear her head, but it wasn’t working out for her…    


“Hey, when I want to drink, I drink. When I want sex, I go get it. Same goes for a sandwich or a fight,” He shrugged, “I’m just well-fed.” 

Alyssa looked up at the angel behind her once more, “I- am I hungry for something Cas?” She asked, her mind clearing again without her realizing once she’d focused her attention on Cas again. 

He nodded, his blue eyes immediately meeting hers, “Oh yes, you’re craving attention, from me, which I am more than happy to give to you,” Cas explained to her. 

“Oh,” She muttered, her cheeks turning red, “Well-” 

“Look at that,” Dean hissed, pointing towards a man in suit who got into a sleek black car, “Looks like our guy,” He said before kicking his car in gear and following the car down the road. 

They reached a dingy little restaurant, one that Alyssa barely even noticed, finding herself too wrapped up in Castiel’s warm embrace and more than grateful to accept all of the comfort and affection he was giving her at the moment. 

Until Dean got too fed up with them once more, “Hey lovebirds!” He shot towards the backseat, “Let’s go over the plan alright?” 

Cas rolled his eyes and moved away from Alyssa, reappearing in the front seat of the impala next to Dean, “I take the knife, I go in, I cut off the ring hand of Famine, and I meet you back here in the parking lot,” He said, sounding mostly uninterested with their situation. 

“Sounds foolproof,” Dean sassed back to the angel, and in the next second he had disappeared from the car, much to Alyssa’s displeasure. 

“Quit pouting back there, you’ll have your angelic boyfriend back in a minute,” He teased, smirking in her direction, but Alyssa wasn’t in the mood to joke around with her brother any longer. 

“I can’t believe you would send him in there by himself,” Alyssa frowned, thinking of all the things that could happen to him, “He should still be here with us!” 

Dean turned around to face his sister, but as soon as he swiveled around in his seat she had disappeared, “Well shit,” He muttered before getting out of the car and running across the empty parking lot towards the restaurant where he was sure Cas and Alyssa were both in trouble. 

Alyssa, on the other hand was on cloud nine, she was peacefully wrapped up in Castiel’s warm embrace, they were stuck in a corner booth in the restaurant, and she was straddling his waist, his warm arms wrapped around his body, his face tucked in her neck, his lips attacking the skin there, as his hands roamed her body, twisting into her hair and tugging gently. She let her hands rest on his chest as she pulled at his tie and tugged at his jacket, desperately trying to get closer to him in any way that she possibly could, she was experiencing something she’d never felt before in her life, there was such a desperation to what was going on she wasn’t sure if she could ever stop. 

“Cas,” She moaned as he sucked at the bare skin of her neck, her hands moving up to grasp at his thick dark hair. 

He stopped his onslaught on her neck for a moment to come up to look her in the eyes, “Say my full name,” Cas demanded, immediately moving back in place. 

Alyssa shuddered, “Castiel, don’t stop, don’t ever stop, I need you so badly,” She groaned, falling further on top of him when his hands came to clutch at the back of her knees to pull her further up his body, her mind going blank at his sudden change in position.  

She could faintly hear voices in the background of their setting, but she couldn’t even bother to think about who it was, let alone focus on what they were saying, if she even tried to move her thought away from Cas it was unbearable.  

Alyssa could barely think, her mind was foggy, she could barely feel the angel’s hands all over her, but she knew he was there, and that was all that mattered, right? Without thinking, she grabbed onto his face and pulled him up so she was looking at him once more, and without hesitation, her lips came smashing down on his in a pure frenzy of emotion and hunger. 

Cas was responding more than eagerly, as he cupped her face in his hands and held her to him even more than he ever had before. 

And then all at once it was over.

Her mind cleared immediately and she could hear what was going on again, she could feel Cas all over her, she could feel him holding onto her as if he was a dying man, and then she pushed herself away from him, or as far as she could get with his iron like grip on her thighs.

“Cas,” Alyssa whispered, her eyes going wide as the two of them realized the compromising position that they had found themselves in, “I, uh, I’m sorry, I, it looks like they got the ring,” She turned her head to look towards the commotion behind them to notice her brothers standing there staring at the awkward duo, Sam looking worse for wear.  

“Yes, uh, well, it wasn’t your fault,” Castiel cleared his throat, “I am… sorry,” He muttered and released her legs, allowing her to climb off of him and out of the booth that the two of them were cramped up in. 

That’s when Alyssa and Cas noticed Sam, and the dark look he had in his eyes. Immediately she was at her brother’s side, slipping an arm around his back and walking him back towards the impala, helping him climb into the passenger’s seat as the car filled up with it’s other passengers, “We need to get him back to Bobby’s,” Alyssa urged as Sam lolled his head in the front seat. 

“I’m on it,” And they were out of that parking lot faster than she could’ve ever imagined, they wouldn’t have gotten back there faster if Cas had zapped them back, but to be fair he disappeared pretty quickly after their sobering up, and she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted him to pop up later. 

When the siblings got Sam back into Bobby’s house Alyssa was surprised to hear that he agreed to being locked up in the panic room for a little while, until he recovered, but she saw that as an improvement; until it was the worst thing she’d ever had to endure considering she thought she’d only have to go through this once before. 

She didn’t know how long they were planning on keeping him locked up in there, probably until the screaming stopped, but having to listen to her brother go through such trials was far worse than any ghost or demon she’d ever had to endure. 

Even Cas stopped by after a short while, offering comfort in only the way that he could, by not ever knowing what to say. “That’s not him in there, not really,” He said from where he stood behind Alyssa. 

Dean took a deep breath, “I know,” He muttered, all three of them wincing when they heard another shout from Sam in his jail. 

“Sam just has to get it out of his system, it’s not-” Cas tried again, but was quick to get cut off by Dean. 

“Listen, I just- uh, I just need to get some air,” And just like that Cas and Alyssa were left alone to listen to Sam’s screams of pain. 

“Are you alright?” Cas asked, reaching a hand out to touch Alyssa’s shoulder but hesitating when he got close enough to touch her, clearly there was an awkwardness between them that hadn’t been there before. 

She nodded, running her hands through her hair, “I’ll be fine soon enough, as soon as Sam’s okay,” Alyssa assured him, crossing her arms tight over her chest, not wanting to talk about their encounter just hours ago, “There’s nothing you can do to help, right?” She asked after the drawn out silence between the two of them, not knowing what else she  _ could  _ talk to them about. 

Cas shook his head, looking at the floor, “I wish there was something I could do,” He said, not making eye contact with her. 

“I had a feeling you would say that,” She muttered, wincing when she heard another shout come from Bobby’s panic room. 

She turned to face the door again, wanting to be able to do something for Sam, not noticing Cas’ worried glance sent her way, “You should not be down here for this,” He commented, catching Alyssa’s attention once more.

Honestly, she was surprised he was still here, his track record usually ended with him leaving as soon as anything got too personal or uncomfortable, but here he was… “I’m fine, I- someone needs to be here with him, you don’t have to wait up,” She told him, waving him away with a hand. 

Another minute passed and she still didn’t hear the flap of his wings, and when she turned around he was still standing where she’d last saw him, staring at her this time, “I’m not going to leave,” He said once she’d laid her eyes on him again, “I can’t,” He confessed. 

She furrowed her brow, trying to block out the sounds from the panic room behind her, “Why not? Is this the same thing with being able to heal people?” She asked, feeling slightly nervous for him if he was losing even more of his angelic abilities. 

He shook his head, “No that’s not it,” He replied, making Alyssa even more confused, thankfully he continued before she could ask, “I am… fine, I would prefer to stay here for now,” He continued, looking like he had something else to say. 

With another curious glance she decided not to push it any farther, she wasn’t going to push her luck with getting information out of him, especially because she could barely meet his eye from embarrassment, she was just going to be thankful for the company she had at the moment, “Okay,” She agreed, finally giving in and collapsing into a small chair set up next to the panic room door. 

It didn’t take long for Cas to lower himself into another spare chair as well, surprising Alyssa again since she thought it wouldn’t take him long to head upstairs with Dean and Bobby. “I am sorry,” He said after another bout of silence between the two of them. 

She stared at him again, feeling like she knew what he was talking about but she didn’t want to be the one to bring up the awkward tension between the two of them. 

Thankfully he caught on to her unwillingness to say anything on the subject and continued himself, “Back at the restaurant with famine that was something neither of us could control,” He began, to Alyssa’s annoyance, “It was not an intentional act and it was strictly because of famine, I would hate for you to feel strange about it,” He finished, not sounding too enthused to be talking about it. 

“I don’t feel strange,” She snapped, stopping him before he could say anything else about it, she didn’t know what had caused her to snap, but she couldn’t help herself, she didn’t want to hear about how he was under the influence of famine… Just like she had been. 

Cas nodded, “Good, I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” He muttered, turning silent once more, leaving the two of them sitting side by side, listen to Sam’s screams of pain and not being able to do anything about it. 


	10. Chapter 10

Alyssa woke up to a commotion from their motel’s front door and immediately she shot to her feet, moving to grab the gun by the side of her bed but finding herself shocked it wasn’t there. After she’d gotten over the initial shock of being shocked to life she realized what was going on. 

“Looking for this?” A man asked, holding up a gun which Alyssa could barely make out in the darkness that had set in over the room. 

Her eyes darted around the room to see that both her brothers had guns pointed at them from two other men and she didn’t dare to move closer to them in case someone decided to shoot. 

“Mornin’” Dean muttered, glancing between his two siblings. 

Alyssa flinched when the man holding Dean at gunpoint got even more in his face, “Shut up, hands where I can see em, all of you!” He demanded, and slowly Alyssa raised her hands in front of her, really not wanting to be the reason any of them got shot today. 

“Wait a minute,” Dean frowned after raising his hands, “Is that you Roy? It is, isn’t it? Which makes you Walt, and you Frank!” He gestured towards the two other men, clearly taking a much too casual approach to this situation, making Alyssa’s stomach drop. 

Slowly the three men removed their masks, revealing themselves to the siblings. She couldn’t believe her eyes, what had they done that would cause a group of hunters go after them? 

“Is it just me or do you seem a tad upset?” Dean said with a condescending grin. 

Suddenly Walt who was pointing his gun at Sam surged forwards, his gun getting dangerously close to her brother’s face, “You think you can flip the switch on the Apocalypse and just walk away, Sam?” He growled, his grip on the gun visibly tightening. 

“Who told you that?” Sam demanded. 

“We ain’t the only hunters after you,” Walt said, pumping his gun, “See you in the next life!” 

Sam looked a little frantic, “Hear me out, I can explain, okay? Please!” He begged, eyes wide. 

Alyssa’s breath was caught in her throat and it didn’t come out until the loud ring of Walt’s gun rang out, the bullet sending Sam crashing to the ground, she didn’t even hear herself scream until Frank who was pointing a gun at her shouted at her to shut up and forced Dean to stop in his tracks too. 

“Shoot them,” Walt immediately ordered, barely hesitating. 

Alyssa’s mind was running a mile a minute, her brothers had died and come back before but this was different, she just saw him get shot right in front of her, and now they were next! 

“Killing Sam was right, but Alyssa and Dean?” Roy asked, his gun still trained on Dean while Frank’s was on Alyssa, his finger on the trigger. 

“You want to spend the rest of your life knowing that these two are on our ass?” Roy snapped. 

With her eyes trained on Sam, Alyssa could hear Dean yelling something in the background, but next thing she knew there was a ringing in her ears and pain erupted in her chest before she collapsed and her world went black. 

* * *

Alyssa opened her eyes to find herself laying in a big comfortable bed feeling like she’d gotten the best sleep of her life. But then the memories came flooding back to her and in the next instant she was shooting to her feet, her eyes darting around the strange room she was in. 

It looked like an average bedroom, nicer than one she’d stayed in for a while, with a canopy bed with white sheets and pillows, the walls were a bright shade of light blue, the floors were wooden, there was a large wooden dresser and two large windows with tan shades pulled over them. She frowned, she had just gotten  _ shot _ where was she now? Where were her brothers. 

She was about to leave the room, hoping to find her brothers somewhere else in the house when her head started to feel heavy, a familiar feeling for her. 

_ “Alyssa?”  _ Cas demanded, his voice resonating throughout her skull. 

_ “Cas, I’m here, I don’t know where here is, but I’m… okay?” _ She responded, sitting down on the side of the bed so she could focus on their conversation. 

_ “You’re not okay, you’re dead, in heaven,” _ He explained to her, even though deep down she knew that she was in heaven, it was just a surreal feeling, she thought being dead would be a little more spectacular, that her heaven would have more to offer than a small bedroom…  _ “Tell me what you see, _ ” He continued. 

_ “I’m in a bedroom, in some house, somewhere,” _ She responded, wishing he’d be able to help her out somehow but knowing that he couldn’t enter heaven at the moment. 

There was silence from his end after that, and she sighed, jumping back to her feet in hopes of being able to figure something out for herself. She immediately marched towards the nearest door, hoping to be able to see what else was in this house, but just when she opened the door she nearly shrieked. Right on the other side of the door was Cas, and he was quick to push her back in the bedroom, slamming the door behind him before cutting himself across the forearm and drawing a sigil for her in seconds. 

“Cas?” Alyssa demanded, feeling very confused, how was he in heaven right now? 

Once he was done he turned back to her, looking frantic, “Hello Alyssa,” He greeted. 

“How are you here? Where’s Sam and Dean?” She demanded, not knowing where to start. 

His eyes darted towards the windows and he marched over, pulling the curtains closed a little bit tighter, “Sam and Dean are in heaven, too, somewhere, I will help you find them soon,” He told her, coming back to where she was standing but still looking antsy. 

“Okay, how are  _ you _ here?” She asked again, instantly, she wasn’t going to let this go. 

He sighed, “I don’t have much time-” Cas tried to deter. 

“Cas, I’m dead, I want to know what’s going on,  _ please _ ,” She begged. 

Cas took one last look around the room before he relaxed a little bit, “Fine, if you insist,” He said, sounding a little annoyed, “This is the one place I can still visit in heaven, it’s risky but it’s open to me, I’ve only come here if it’s been necessary,” He told her. 

“Okay but why this place, why am I here?” She pressed, needing answers. 

“I have always been able to come here, since the beginning of time, it’s been the only constant in heaven,” He explained as he started to wring his hands together. 

She frowned at that answer, there was clearly something that he wasn’t telling her, and she was going to get it out of him even if it killed her again, “Tell me why I am here Castiel, there’s something you’re hiding from me,” She said, boldly taking a step towards her. 

His blue eyes seemed to be looking right through her, “This is your heaven, and it’s the only place I can still visit,” He confessed with a small nod, clearly the implication meant more to him than it did to her. 

“Why?” She asked, her confusion still strong. 

Cas shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his eyes darting around the room clearly looking for a way out of this conversation, but finding none he found himself staring at her again, “I’ve told you we shared a bond before, that wasn’t a lie, we share a very strong bond-” He said, rambling slightly. 

“Yeah I knew that already, you also told us you and Dean share a  _ profound _ bond, remember? Why can’t you go to his heaven?” She grilled. 

“That is true as well, but it is not nearly as profound as ours,” He confessed, “Our bond is deeper than me being assigned to watch over you… You and I- We are intertwined, it is destiny,” He continued to explain in the best way he could. 

“I don’t understand, I know we’ve got a bond but destiny? I don’t get it Cas,” She demanded, “If we’re intertwined as you claimed what does that mean, how am I supposed to-” 

She didn’t expect Cas’ reaction to her arguments, and his answer was the last thing she expected, even in death she couldn’t catch a break. 

“We’re  _ soulmates _ ,” He snapped, his brow furrowing as he stared at her, waiting for her to respond. 

Alyssa wasn’t sure how long she stared at him for, but she was sure it was longer than a minute and he was clearly uncomfortable, “Soulmates?” She finally managed to scoff, a laugh escaping from her, “That can’t be true, I- why would we be soulmates?” She asked, her head spinning. 

Cas frowned, “I can’t explain why, God works in mysterious ways, but it is true, Alyssa, why else would I be able to visit you here?” He asked, looking around the room. 

“I don’t have a soulmate, Cas, they’re not real and relationships don’t work out well for my family if you haven’t noticed,” She argued. 

Before she could get another word out his hand had latched itself onto hers and immediately she felt a jolt of electricity run through her, much stronger than she’d ever felt from him before and if she didn’t try to stop herself she was sure she would’ve fallen straight into his arms. 

“What was that?” She demanded, not being able to pull herself away from him. 

His hand flexed around hers, “That is what I feel every time you touch me, I’ve been masking it from you but what else could that mean?” He asked, and his other hand came up to nearly cup her cheek, sending another jolt through her. 

“Stop,” She squeaked out, feeling overwhelmed from the crazy sensations that were running through her body. 

He hesitated his hands on her body, “I can’t stop, Alyssa, this is all I’ve felt for  _ months _ , every time we’re in the same room, I need you to understand,” Cas pushed, staring at her more intensely than she’d ever experienced in her entire life. 

Her cross necklace was practically burning against her skin and her mind was racing, “I don’t think I can understand, Cas, I’m human,” She insisted, tugging against his hold slightly which was not moving. 

The angel sighed, “You will,” He decided, his hand on her face brushing her hair behind her ear, “I’ll help you,” He told her. 

She blinked, she didn’t  _ want  _ to understand, her life was already as crazy as it could be she didn’t want to have some unheard of connection to an angel! “I don’t- I don’t want to know, Cas, this is crazy,” She argued. 

He was not planning on backing down though, “You asked for this, I wasn’t going to tell you,” He insisted, “I promise you Alyssa, you’ll understand soon,” She felt a shiver run through her body, finally giving her the strength to rip herself out of his grip. 

“Stop, not right now, I’m dead Cas, just- just tell me where Sam and Dean are,” She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Cas blinked a couple times, looking like he was coming out of a trance, “They’re in their own heavens right now, I showed Dean the road to Sam, and he’s on his way, but Zachariah is looking for them, he’s going to bring them back to life, so you need to catch up to them so you will come back, too,” He told her, “But I cannot explore heaven any further, I need you and your brothers to find someone for me, an angel, Joshua, the rumor is he talks to God, and I need your help,” He asked. 

Alyssa nodded, “Okay, I can try to do that, how do I find them?” She was happy to be talking about anything except being his soulmate, it just made her skin crawl, and from what he was saying she needed to meet up with her brothers quickly. 

“There are certain doorways or passages that will take you to different places in heaven, this is your heaven, but you’re looking for something, so when you leave the doorway it should take you to your brothers, you need to keep finding doorways and passageways until you can find them,” He explained, sounding much more urgent now, clearly he didn’t really want to be in heaven for much longer. 

She nodded, taking it all in, “Okay, I should get going,” She told him, pushing past him to get to the doorway. 

Before she could even put her hand on the door to push it open Cas grabbed her arm and spun her back around, “One more thing,” He demanded, his grip not loosening at all even after she was facing him again, pulling against his grip, “I cannot hold contact with your brothers for too long where they are in heaven, because we are soulmates,” She hesitated when he said that but let him continue, “I will be able to contact you much easier, so I’ll be in touch, stay safe,” Cas told her. 

She took a deep breath, not bothering to argue with him any longer for times sake, so she just nodded, “I will,” She told him and he finally released her from his grip so she could go on her way through heaven alone. 

Opening the door to where the rest of the house should’ve been, she was met with a bright white light and in the next second she found herself standing in an all too familiar building. 

“Sam, Dean?” She asked, immediately recognizing the two men she was standing behind, and it didn’t take her too long after that to realize that there were two other people there with them. 

“Alyssa, where were you?” Dean asked, immediately sweeping her up in a hug which she eagerly returned before hugging Sam in the same way. 

“I was in heaven, I guess it just took me a little bit longer to catch up to you two,” She said with a laugh, but the laugh died once she noticed who else was in the room. 

“Ash? Pam?” She asked, noticing who was watching their reunion. 

Without hesitation she embraced both of them, more than happy to see them doing well in heaven, “Hey girl,” Ash grinned, “We were just about to send your boys off to the garden, I’m guessing your joining?” He asked, “I’ve got an All Access pass to the Magic Kingdom!” 

“Let’s get going then,” Dean said, looking very eager to get out of there. 

Ash frowned, “That Zachary fella is going to be watching every road to the garden,” He warned, making Alyssa nervous, especially since they were Cas’ only hope at the minute, it was pretty much their only chance to find out what was going on with God.

Alyssa averted her eyes when Pamela pulled Dean into a kiss more than once, leaving her and Sam feeling more than awkward, but Ash at least didn’t seem to care too much about the encounter. 

Ash was drawing a final image on the wall before he turned back to face them, “Alright folks, I don’t mean to be a downer or anything, but I’m sure I’ll see you again soon,” He grinned, practically pushing them out the nearest doorway. 

“Keep a sixer on ice for us,” Dean said, and then they were walking through the door, hopefully heading towards the garden. 

What they entered wasn’t the garden though, they were in a living room, staring at Sam and Dean’s mother who was staring back at Dean with bright yellow eyes. The lights flashed quickly and then before their eyes the room changed, the doors all disappearing and Mary’s eyes turned back to their normal color just as she started speaking. 

“The worst was the smell,” She began, “The pain? Well, what can you say about your skin bubbling off? But the smell was so… For a second I thought I left a pot roast in the oven, but it was me,” She said. 

“Find a door,” Alyssa hissed to Sam as Dean stood frozen at the scene while she continued to speak. 

Alyssa only realized that she stopped speaking when there was a new voice in the room with them, “Guys, did you really just think you could sneak past me into mission control?” Zachariah said, frowning. 

“You son of a bitch!” Sam said, moving to attack Zachariah or something but just as he moved three other angels appeared and grabbed the three of them, holding them in place. 

They watched in horror as Zachariah approached Mary, “You know, I’d say the same thing about you, Sam, but I actually have grown quite fond of your mother, or at least the blessed memory of her,” He confessed pushing her hair back before kissing her neck. “I think we’re going to be logging a lot of quality time together, I’ve discovered she’s quite the MILF!” 

“You can gloat all you want you dick, you’re still bald!” Dean snapped. 

Zachariah sighed, snapping his fingers, and making Mary disappear, “Let’s brass tack this, shall we?” He grinned. 

“You gonna ball-gag us until we say yes? I’ve heard that one before!” Dean cursed, trying to break out of the angel’s hold on him. 

The angel wasn’t having it though, just as Dean finished speaking he drove his fist into his gut sending Dean doubling over, “I’m going to do a lot more than that, I’ve cleared my schedule,” He said sending another punch Dean’s way, “Let me tell you something, I was on the fast track once, employee of the month, every month, forever! I would walk these halls and people would avert their eyes! I had respect!” He shouted, shaking the whole house, “And then they assigned me to you, now look at me, I can’t close the deal on a couple of flannel-wearing maggots? Everybody’s laughing at me, and they’re right to do it, so say yes!” He monologued, only to be cut off by another new character. 

“Excuse me, sir?” Alyssa’s gaze fell on a new figure in the room, an angel she guessed. 

Zachariah looked pissed, “I’m in a meeting,” He snarked. 

All the new character did was smile, “I need to speak to those three,” He confessed. 

“You don’t need to speak to anyone,” Zachariah spat. 

The newcomer shrugged, “No, you’re right, but the boss does, his orders,” He explained, making Zachariah go pale. 

_ “It’s Joshua,” _ Cas’ voice rang through her ears without warning,  _ “Go with him. _ ” She didn’t bother to ask how Cas knew she was with Joshua, paying attention to what was going on in front of her for the most part. 

But just when she tried to tone our Castiel, she was being released by the angel behind her and when she recovered she was in a completely new place; a garden, “This is heaven’s garden?” She asked, looking around in awe. 

_ “Yes,” _ Castiel answered in her head before Joshua even could, making Alyssa jump slightly, not wanting to have him speaking in her ear when they were trying to help him. 

She frowned,  _ “Get out of my head!”  _ She shot back to Cas, hoping he would get the very strong hint she’d rather not have him practically breathing down her neck right now, especially after what he’d told her earlier. 

“You see what you want to see here,” Joshua explained, “For some it’s God’s throne room, others it’s the garden on Eden, for you three it’s the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, you came here on a field trip,” He said, looking around as if admiring the place. 

“So you talk to God?” Sam asked. 

The man shrugged, “Mostly he speaks to me,” He confessed to them. 

“We need to talk to him, it’s important, where is he?” Dean demanded. 

Joshua shrugged, “He’s on Earth, no clue what he’s doing, we don’t really speak face to face,” The angel told them. 

“Why is he talking to you?” Alyssa asked. 

“I sometimes think it’s because I can sympathize, gardener to gardener, and between us, I think he gets lonely,” He said with a shrug. 

“Can you at least give him a message from us?” Sam asked, frowning. 

Joshua cocked an eyebrow, “Actually, he’s got a message for you;” He said, sounding cryptic. 

Alyssa felt hope spark up inside her, but she knew it wasn’t coming from her, Cas was affecting her somehow and she couldn’t get him to stop! 

“Back off.” 

The three of them were dumbfounded, and the spark she’d just felt inside her immediately disappeared, “What?” Alyssa asked, breaking the silence. 

“He knows what the angels are doing, he knows the apocalypse has begun, he just doesn’t think it’s his problem,” Joshua shrugged. 

She was overcome with overwhelming sadness, again something she knew was not her own feelings,  _ “Cas?” _ She called to him, hoping he’d be able to listen to her, even though she was a little annoyed with him, she didn’t want for him to be completely crushed, especially if she was feeling his emotions! 

_ “Just leave, there’s no point in trying to convince him of anything,” _ Cas’ voice came back, much deeper this time. 

Not even listening to the conversation that was going on around her any longer she frowned, “ _ Are you sure? Maybe we could just try to convince him to at least tell God something, maybe it will sound better if it’s coming from humans?” _ She asked, trying to at least come up with something to do. 

He didn’t have a chance to respond before right in front of her eyes there was a bright white light flashing in front of her and in the next second she was opening her eyes to find herself laying on the hard motel room floor. 

“You alright?” Sam asked, having already climbed to his feet and moving towards Alyssa to help her to her feet. 

She groaned as she stood, feeling pretty sore but other than that at least they were alive, “Yeah, I’m good, Dean?” She asked, noticing he’d just righted himself. 

“Yeah, good, let’s get out of here though,” He said, picking up his phone ready to make a call. 

_ “You’re back?”  _ Cas asked her before Dean could make the call. 

_ “Yeah, same motel as the other night… obviously” _ She replied. 

An instant later, Cas was standing by Alyssa’s side, his eyes raking over her body for any sign of injury, “Are you alright?” He asked as soon as he appeared, his hands reaching out to grab her by the shoulders. 

She ducked out of the way, not wanting to go through what she went through earlier with him if she could help it, and he didn’t look very pleased that she had avoided him, “Yeah, I’m fine,” She said sternly, using the hair-tie around her wrist to pull her hair into a pony before moving away from him to collect her belongings. 

“Cas!” Dean called, putting his cell phone down and staring at the angel, “We found Joshua-” 

“I know,” Cas cut him off, turning away from Alyssa to stare at the oldest Winchester, “Maybe Joshua is lying.” 

Alyssa straightened up, throwing a jacket over her shoulders as Castiel confessed this, hiking her bad over her shoulder, “I’m sorry Cas,” Sam began, “I don’t think he was.” 

Cas glanced back towards Alyssa once more before he moved to the window of the motel room, looking outside now that the sun was rising, “You son of a bitch, I believed…” Alyssa froze as the angel trailed off, looking angrily out the window. She watched as he pulled the amulet out of his pocket, holding it out to Dean, “I don’t need this anymore,” He said, tossing it to dean, “It’s useless.” 

“Cas, wait,” Sam tried to get him to say, but before he could continue Cas had left them. 

Alyssa heard herself let out a groan and before she knew what she was doing she was leaving the motel room, “I’m going to talk to him,” She told her brothers, ignoring Dean’s look of confusion before leaving the motel room and heading around the back of the building. 

“Cas?” she called, hoping he would listen to her, “Come on Cas, can we please just talk,” She tried again. 

From behind her she heard flapping wings and she spun around, her eyes meeting his blue eyes, “I don’t want to talk about it,” He said before she even had the chance to say anything else. 

“Okay,” She sighed, “We don’t have to talk about anything, I just thought you might not want to be alone?” Alyssa asked after a second. 

Before she knew what was going on, Castiel had taken a step towards her and raised his hand to tap her on the forehead sending them who knows where. “Where are we?” Alyssa demanded immediately, looking around her new setting. 

Cas had taken them to a strange beach like setting, it looked like the sun was just rising wherever they were, and even though they were a little far away from the waves she could still feel water droplets dusting over her face in the wind. 

“I’ve found this place when I was cut off from heaven, I come here when I need to think,” He explained, looking out towards the waves, “I’ve never taken anyone here,” He confessed, frowning slightly. 

She sighed, getting him to cheer up was going to be tricky, but at the same time it was something she had to do, she couldn’t handle him being upset for some reason, it was driving her crazy! 

And  _ not _ because she was his so called soulmate, thank you! 

“You know, when I’m feeling sad sometimes it really does help to talk, I normally go to Sam though, Dean doesn’t care as much about that unless it’s bothering him, too,” She told him, hoping the angel would open up to her. 

He sighed through his nose, lowering himself down on a bench behind them that she could’ve sworn wasn’t there a moment ago… “It’s different,” Cas began, “I’ve never had anyone to  _ talk _ to, perhaps it comes so easy with you because you are my soulmate-” 

Alyssa cringed as she sat down next to him, “I’m not,” She insisted, not quite sure why she was so against the idea of it, other than the fact she didn’t care to be bound to anyone that wasn’t family. Sam and Dean both had romances in the past and she’d seen how those had ended, but hers never lasted longer than a night, she didn’t want to get that close to someone she couldn’t protect. 

“You are,” Cas interjected, scooting closer to her on the bench and looking like he was going to rest his hand on top of her before she quickly pulled away, “Now that you know, there’s no point in me trying to mask it anymore,” He decided. 

She frowned without realizing it, this was not how she planned on this conversation going, “Alright, let’s just agree to disagree and change the subject,” She suggested, not wanting to argue with him at the moment. 

Cas was staring at her, his body angled awkwardly on the bench, “I don’t want to. Talking about my soulmate is starting to make me feel much better,” He confessed, the corners of his lips turning up into a grin. 

“There’s nothing else that will make you feel better?” She asked, groaning slightly since this was a topic she wanted to ignore at the moment. 

He looked thoughtful, his head cocking to the side, “Perhaps there is one thing,” He trailed off, still staring at her. 

The word ‘what’ didn’t even have a chance to leave her mouth before Cas moved forwards, grabbing Alyssa around the waist and pulling her straight into his body, wrapping her up in a tight hug. 

“Cas!” She squeaked, her hands getting trapped in between their bodies as his face buried itself in her hair. 

“I heard humans enjoy contact with other when they are feeling bad,” He mumbled against her head, “I haven’t felt the desire to hug Sam or Dean, but this is different,” He practically purred. 

“Don’t tell me it’s because I’m your soulmate,” She mocked, finally realizing she wouldn’t be able to break out of his grip and deciding relax against him. 

She could’ve sworn she felt him nuzzling the top of her head, but brushed it off when he started talking again, “I wouldn’t have to tell you if you would just have faith in me,” He said, one of his hands unwrapping itself from around her and gently he started to pull against her hair tie, sending her hair tumbling down her back. 

“Do you feel better now,” Alyssa asked, her cheek pressed awkwardly up against his shoulder. 

Cas sighed, his breath ruffling her hair, “Not quite,” He said, and Alyssa could tell he was milking it for what it was worth, especially now that he told her they were soulmates. 

She just hoped there wouldn’t be a lot more of these interactions, “Okay, okay,” She mumbled, pulling her hands out from in between them and cautiously closing the space between the two of them as she wrapped her arms around him in response, pulling herself that much closer to his front. From their new embrace, she could feel the necklace thrumming against her skin, and her body erupted in goosebumps, “How about now?” She squeaked, her voice coming out thin and weak. 

She could feel him freeze for a moment and then finally pull away, “How am I supposed to convince you if you barely believe what you’re feeling?” He asked, his hands slowly moving away from where he had been clinging to her. 

Alyssa quickly scooted back to the other side of the bench, “Let’s just leave it for now, please?” She asked, not meeting his eyes. 

Thankfully, he chose to listen to her and nodded his agreement, “I will take you back to Sam and Dean now,” He offered, standing up from his bench and offering her a hand. 

She ignored the offer and got to her feet, too, “Thanks, I’m glad you’re feeling better now,” She said, and before she knew what was going on, she was sitting inside the impala, watching her brothers leave the motel room and finding Cas nowhere in sight. 

Alyssa rolled down the window, waving to them, “Ready to go?” She asked, hoping she’d be able to stay in the car for now. 

Dean nodded, climbing into the front seat, “Did you find Cas?” He asked just as Sam joined them. 

She nodded, coughing as she did, “Yeah, he’ll be alright,” She assured them, settling into the backseat. 

“He seems to really like you,” Sam commented, barely sparing her a look back, which she was thankful for since her face lit up bright red at the implication. 

“Yeah, I think I’m just nicer to him than either of you are,” She laughed, trying to brush off the comment and hoping neither of her brothers noticed her red cheeks. 

Thankfully they didn’t notice and soon enough Dean turned on the radio and they were on the road again, heading off to God knows where in hopes of figuring out another plan on how to stop the apocalypse. 


	11. Chapter 11

The church they found themselves in just  _ felt _ strange to her, and it didn’t help that demons had apparently overrun the town. 

The town was pretty lucky to have a prophet in their midst and she was thankful to have a distraction from Cas who had been constantly on top of her since he’d confessed she was his soulmate, which she still wasn’t planning on believing so easily. 

It was lucky that the prophet knew who they were too, it made it much easier to do what they were trying to do in the town. 

She was more than thankful when her and Sam ended up at the pub that night drinking right up until curfew, “Where have you two been?” Dean frowned once the two of them entered the motel room. 

“Drinking,” Alyssa smirked, plopping down on the couch on the far side of the motel. 

Dean looked appalled, mocking them, “You rebels!” He exclaimed, nudging Alyssa on the shoulder leaving her to swat him away. 

“We’d have had more but it was curfew,” Sam shrugged. 

“You hear they shut down the cell towers?” Alyssa asked, raising an eyebrow in Dean’s direction. 

Dean shook his head, “No, that’s news to me,” He said. 

Sam nodded, pulling out his cell and showing Dean his bars, “Yeah, no cable, no internet, total cut off from the corruption of the outside world,” He explained, tossing the useless phone onto one of the beds. 

“You get it right?” Alyssa grilled, “They’re turning this place into some kind of fundamentalist compound!” 

Dean shrugged, “I get it, I just don’t care,” He said, getting defensive. 

“What?” Sam asked. 

“What difference does it make?” Dean countered, looking like he couldn’t care less about the town. 

Sam clearly was getting heated, too, “At what point does this go too far for you? Stoning? Poison kool-aid? The angels are toying with these people!” He nearly shouted. 

Her brother argument got even louder and she groaned, closing her eyes and falling down against the back of the couch in exhaustion, she couldn’t handle all the tension that was between the two of them as of recent, it was exhausting! 

She only opened her eyes when she heard Dean grab his jacket and storm off towards the door, “I got to clear my head,” He said before slamming the motel door behind him. 

“It’s past curfew!” Sam said to himself before turning to Alyssa for clarification. 

She shook her head, “I don’t know what to tell you,” Alyssa shrugged, grabbing a book off the table in front of her and starting to flip through the pages, trying to find anything that could help them out. 

It didn’t take long for Cas to show up soon after that. 

Alyssa wouldn’t have given Cas a second look if it wasn’t for the  _ odd _ way he was speaking at the moment; she was in the middle of reading something out of one of their books. “I got your message,” She heard the angel slur slightly and she looked up to watch Cas stare down Sam, “It was long, your message… And I find the sound of your voice grating,” He explained walking further into the room. 

“What-” Sam started, taking a step towards the angel, “are you drunk?” 

Castiel rolled his eyes, looking more than annoyed with her older brother, “No!” He exclaimed, sounding almost offended, just before his eyes shot over to where Alyssa was sitting, “Yes…” He muttered. 

“What happened to you?” Sam asked, voicing Alyssa’s thoughts. 

The angel shrugged as he walked further into the room, “I found a liquor store, and I drank it… Why’d you call me?” He asked stumbling slightly before Sam helped to steady him. 

“Woah, there you go,” Sam offered, helping the angel back to his feet, “Are you alright?” 

Alyssa couldn’t help but smirk as Cas leaned back into her brother, “Don’t ask stupid questions,” She heard him murmur before the angel stood back up and practically spun around on his heel to face Alyssa, “Tell me what you need,” He demanded as he marched purposely towards where Alyssa was reading before plopping down next to her and allowing himself to fall straight onto her lap. 

Her book was pulled out of her hand and set back down on the table and she was left trying to figure out if she should push the drunk angel off of her. 

“There have been demon attacks, massive, right on the edge of town and we can’t figure out why-” Sam explained, shifting around on his feet as he watched Alyssa attempt to deal with the drunk angel. 

Cas flipped himself over so he was staring straight up at Alyssa and his back was resting on the small couch they were perched on, “Any sign of angels?” He asked, one of his hands reaching up to grab at the tips of Alyssa’s hair, much to her chagrin. 

“Sort of-” Sam began, but Cas cut him off with a wave of his hand. 

“Alyssa, you tell me,” The angel demanded, much to the sibling’s confusion, but they both just assumed it would be easier to play along with the drunk. 

She sighed, giving up on trying to get him off of her and moving to rest one of her hands across his stomach, the other on top of his head, to which he responded with a low purring sound, “Well, there’s been this prophet,” She explained. 

He seemed to perk up at that, “Who?” Cas asked, stirring on her lap. 

“Her name’s Leah Gideon,” Alyssa told him, her fingers moving mindlessly along the edge of his hairline. 

“She’s not a prophet,” He said immediately. 

Sam spoke up again, “I’m pretty sure she is; visions, headaches, the whole package,” He explained, and Cas shot him another dirty look before curling up further into Alyssa’s side. 

“The names of all the prophets are seared into my brain, Leah Gideon is not one of them,” Castiel groaned, his eyes falling shut as he hissed up to Alyssa, “Keep doing that,” Since her fingers had twined themselves into his hair. 

“Who is she then?” She asked him. 

He didn’t even bother opening his eyes, his head turning away from her and burrowing itself into her thighs, “She’s the Whore of Babylon,” He growled, “She’s here to tear the town apart from the inside out, turning humans against one another,” The angel explained, “Where’s Dean?” He asked, perking up a little bit as he sat up next to Alyssa. 

“He’s been gone for a little while,” Alyssa frowned, pulling out her cell but quickly remembering that the phones didn’t work in the town, “Should we go look for him?” She asked, standing up now that Cas wasn’t leaning on her anymore and heading over towards Sam. 

“Yeah, I can go check the church,” Sam offered, “You can head back towards the strip mall, see if anyone’s still out and about down there?” He sighed, throwing his jacket on and grabbing a gun out of his bag. 

“Sounds good,” Alyssa said, throwing on a jacket for herself as well and pulling her hair back into a ponytail, “I’ll be back in thirty minutes,” She told him as he left the motel to head towards the church. 

Once she was ready she turned around to see Cas stumbling to his feet, “You’re going to look for Dean by yourself?” He asked with a grimace. 

“Yeah, I’ll be back soon, you should just rest for a little bit,” She said, walking over to him with the intent to push him down on the couch but when she shoved him he didn’t move, he stayed as still as a brick wall, “Come on, Cas, I’ll be twenty minutes at most, the strip isn’t too far from us, I’ll be quick,” She tried to convince. 

Unexpectedly, he pressed forward, causing her to bang into the table behind her and nearly fall backwards if it weren’t for him pitching forward to catch her, “I’m coming with you,” Cas ordered, pulling her up and marching over towards the motel door. 

“Cas, you’re drunk,” She insisted, pulling against him in a poor attempt to get him to stay in the room, “You shouldn’t be wandering around like this!” 

“I will go search the town for you, I am fine,” He declared and before Alyssa could  _ blink _ he’d disappeared. 

“Shit!” She cursed, zipping up her jacket and slipping on her shoes before running to the door, hoping that Cas wouldn’t get himself into too much trouble before she could find him. 

She threw open the motel door, ready to chase after him, but instead she found herself barreling into Cas’ body from where he was standing directly outside of the motel door. A shriek of confusion left her when she slammed herself into him, “Cas?” She asked, prying herself away from him, “You were barely able to make it out of the motel door and you think you can go search the down for Dean?” She asked, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back in the room. 

“I have searched the town, I did not see Dean around the strip mall, that’s where you intended to look,” He asked, letting Alyssa pull him into the room. 

She blinked, but didn’t respond until he was sitting on the couch again, “Just stay here, please, I’m going to check myself, alright?” She insisted, hoping he would listen to her this time. 

Alyssa barely had a chance to turn around to head back outside before she was pulled backwards by an invisible force and was sitting down on the couch with him, his arms wrapped tightly around her. “Cas!” She squeaked, trying to right herself but not being able to escape his grip, “Let me go, I told Sam I would look for Dean.” 

She shivered when Cas’ nose nuzzled the back of her neck, “I already looked for him, we will just wait for Sam to return,” He instructed. 

Alyssa felt herself shivering at the contact from him, even though it was unwanted she felt drawn to him in a way she couldn’t explain and would rather ignore, but couldn’t the more he acted like this around her, “Okay, fine, I’ll stay for now, but can you let go of me,” She demanded, wiggling around in his grip. 

“I don’t want to,” The angel sighed, letting his weight fall on Alyssa as he pitched forward again. 

She groaned, trying to keep herself upright under his full weight, “You’re drunk, Cas!” She complained, managing to push the two of them up against the back of the couch so he wasn’t leaning on her anymore. 

Just in that moment, Sam came back into the motel, looking at the awkward duo as Cas finally let go of Alyssa, “You were quick, no sign on him?” He asked, throwing his jacket back down on the bed. 

“I didn’t-” Alyssa began. 

“No, we checked everywhere, no Dean,” Cas interjected, falling backwards into a slouch. 

She sighed and climbed to her feet, sure the angel was drunk but she could also count on him to find Dean if he was in the area, so she let it slide for now. “He wasn’t at the church, either?” She asked, finally getting the chance to slip off her own jacket and pull her hair out of it’s ponytail, letting herself at least relax a little bit for the night. 

Her breath caught in her throat for a second when she spun around to see Cas staring at her, his eyes looking dark, and she had to force herself to turn away from him, “No,” Sam said, interrupting her thoughts, “I’m probably going to try to get some shut eye though,” He told her. 

“Yeah me too, I’m sure he’ll pop up soon enough,” Alyssa agreed, throwing a sweatshirt on over her head before noticing Cas again, “Are you going to be alright?” She asked, noticing Sam had already collapsed on the bed. 

Cas nodded, once more clamoring to his feet, “Yes, I will watch over you,” He decided, marching over towards the bed she was planning on passing out on in the next minute. 

She sighed, running a hand through her hair, “No, you don’t need to, just sit down, rest for the night, okay?” she insisted, hoping he would listen. 

He plopped down on the foot of the bed, staring at her, “I don’t need rest,” He told her, his words slurring slightly. 

“Okay, maybe not normally, but you’re drunk,” She frowned, wanting him off her bed so she could get some rest for at least a couple hours. 

Cas looked like he was getting annoyed at her, “I am an angel,” He said, stubbornly, his eyes narrowing at her. 

“And you’re drunk,” She groaned, dealing with him normally was tiring, but dealing with him when he was drunk was exhausted, “Please Castiel, I can’t go to sleep unless I know you’ll be alright for the next few hours, the sun’s coming up soon, I won’t get any sleep if I don’t now.” 

Thankfully, he seemed to understand what she was asking now and despite his sluggishness, he nodded, “I will not leave this room until you or Sam wake,” He assured her, sobering up briefly before he let himself fall backwards on the bed, his legs dangling off the edge. 

“Alright, well if you want to lay on the bed, you need to turn the other way,” She told him, walking over towards him and grabbing his hand to tug him upwards, which of course backfired on her as Cas pulled her forwards on the bed with him.

She tried not to let any noises out as she fell forward, not wanting to wake up Sam as she fought against Cas’ hold once more, “I just want to go to sleep,” Alyssa groaned. 

The angel nodded against her shoulder, “I will assist you,” Cas said, and before Alyssa could protest, his hand entered her view and fell flat on her forehead before she passed out. 

* * *

Alyssa woke up to someone opening the motel door, the sun just rising outside, she couldn’t have been asleep for more than an hour or so, and she didn’t want to get up from where she was tucked under the covers, but she had to. “Good morning,” Cas said from where he was standing on her left, making her jump from surprise, but she managed to recover before Sam or Dean could notice. 

“We went out looking for you, you alright?” Sam asked, getting himself to his feet at the same time Alyssa did, pushing past Cas before he popped up again on the couch once more. 

Dean froze, “Yeah,” He said, pointing at his blood soaked clothing, “It’s not my blood, Paul’s dead…” 

“What?” Alyssa demanded. 

“Jane shot him,” Dean explained, much to their confusion.

Castiel shot up so that he was standing next to Alyssa now, “It’s starting,” He muttered, almost like he was talking to himself. 

Dean swiveled around to look at the angel, “What’s starting, where have you been?” He demanded, taking a few steps towards the pair standing by the couch. 

Alyssa heard the angel let out a low growl, “On a bender,” he snapped, and she could’ve sworn she saw the lights flicker for the briefest moment before he collapsed back down on the couch, dragging Alyssa with him before she could argue against it. 

Her brother looked more than taken aback, “Did he-? Did you just say on a bender?” Dean asked pointing at Castiel. 

“Yeah, when he got here he was pretty drunk,” Alyssa explained, moving to get up again to stand next to her brothers but the second she tried to move away from Castiel he was quick to wrap his arms around her and pull her back down into his side. 

Cas didn’t seem to notice the strange look both her brothers were giving them, but she certainly did, “That’s not important, we need to talk about what’s going on here,” Cas growled, his head falling onto Alyssa’s shoulder. 

Sam shoved his hands into his pockets, “For starters, Leah isn’t a real prophet,” He told Dean. 

“I’m going to go look through the lore books,” Alyssa whispered to Cas, moving to slip out of his grip, but all the angel did was pull her right up onto his lap and then hold out one hand, letting a book fly into his hand before passing it to the poor girl stuck on his lap. 

“She’s the whore,” Cas ground out as Alyssa let out a huff and started to flip through the book he’d sent flying her way before landing on the page she was looking for, “She rises when Lucifer walks the Earth, “And she shall come bearing false prophecy,” He recited, “This creature has the power to take a human’s form and read minds. Book of Revelations calls her the the Whore of Babylon.” 

“So the demons attacking the town?” Dean asked. 

“They’re under her control,” Castiel countered, still lazily skimming through the pages that Alyssa was reading. 

Alyssa closed her book and set it down on the opposite side of the couch, “What about the exorcism?” She asked, shifting so she could get a better look at Cas. 

“Fake,” He grinned, “It actually means, you breed with the mouth of a goat,” Cas said letting out a giggle before clearing his throat through the silence, “It’s funnier in enochian.” 

“So she’s manipulating people?” Sam asked, getting rid of the awkward silence. 

“Her goal is to condemn as many souls to hell as possible and it’s just beginning, she’s on her way to dragging this whole town into the pit,” Castiel explained, leaning on the armrest of the couch and pulling Alyssa with him.

“Alright,” Dean shrugged, “So how do we go Pimp of Babylon all over this bitch?” He grinned. 

In the next second Alyssa heard the flapping of wings and before any of them know what was happening she was falling back against the couch, the angel that was underneath her previously having disappeared. And after a quick glance of confusion shared between the three siblings, Cas had appeared back in the room, throwing a long stick down on the table in front of them. “The whore can be killed with that, it’s a steak made from a cypress tree in Babylon,” Cas said, looking in between Sam and Dean, his brows furrowed. 

“Great,” Dean said picking up the steak, “Let’s ventilate her!” 

Cas spun around, noticing Alyssa again who had been too shocked by his sudden disappearance to move from her seat on the couch since she wasn’t being held captive by him any longer. “There you are,” Cas muttered moving to reclaim his spot next to her. Alyssa was quick to shoot to her feet to get some space from the angel but as soon as she turned from him there he stood right in front of her, catching her off guard as he grabbed her by the shoulders once more to pull her into him again. “That’s better,” Cas smirked. 

“Of course it is,” Alyssa muttered, sighing as she did so. 

“The Whore can only be killed by a true servant of heaven,” Cas said. 

“Servant like…” Dean trailed off looking for more answers from him. 

Cas shook his head, “Not you, or me, or Alyssa, Sam of course is an abomination… We’ll just have to find someone else,” He frowned. 

“What about the pastor?” Sam asked, still glaring at Castiel, most likely because he called him an abomination. 

Dean scoffed, “You think he’d gank his own daughter?” He asked. 

“She’s not his daughter anymore though, not really,” Alyssa perked up. 

She felt Cas stiffen behind her, “We will go retrieve him,” The angel said and in the next second she felt his fingers tighten around her shoulders and then the two of them were gone. 

They reappeared on the street adjacent to the church, and Alyssa was sure she would’ve fallen if it weren’t for Cas’ strong arm wrapping around her middle and holding her steady. “Woah,” He muttered, helping her back to her feet. 

“Thanks, um, let’s go find Pastor Gideon, yeah?” She asked, turning towards the church, only to be stopped by Cas still holding tightly onto her, “What are you doing?” She hissed as he swayed slightly, dragging her along with him. 

“What are you two doing out here past curfew?” They heard a voice say from behind them, much to Alyssa’s delight, since she had no clue where Cas was going with this. 

“Pastor David Gideon,” Castiel said, releasing Alyssa. 

“Hello again Pastor,” Alyssa nodded, waving her hand to the man. 

“Oh hello Alyssa, who’s your friend?” The Pastor asked curiously. 

Before Alyssa had a chance to diffuse the tension, Castiel continued to speak, “I am an angel of the lord,” He declared, leaving Alyssa to shake her head in shock. 

The Pastor scoffed, clearly not believing him, “Yeah, sure,” He muttered, and turned back around to most likely continue towards the church, and Alyssa was prepared to go after him if it weren’t for Castiel propelling her forwards as he grabbed the Pastor by the shoulder, teleporting the strange trio back to the motel Sam and Dean were holed up in. 

“What the hell was that?” The Pastor gasped, looking around the motel room. 

“He wasn’t lying about the angel thing,” Alyssa offered to the confused looking Pastor. 

“Have a seat Padre,” Dean spoke up, “We need to talk.” 

All in all it took the group almost a full hour to explain to the Pastor what was going on, it was pretty hard to wrap your head around this kind of thing when you’re first exposed to it, especially when it’s someone you thought was your daughter. Alyssa couldn’t help but feel bad for the man as she stood back and let her brothers do the explaining. 

“You’re distressed,” She heard Castiel whisper in her ear, “I can sense it, what’s wrong?” He asked her, as he hovered over her. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but jump at his sudden appearance behind her, “I um,” She paused licking her lips and looking to make sure Sam and Dean didn’t notice the awkward interaction between her and the still intoxicated angel. “I’m fine, I just feel bad for the Pastor, that’s all,” She explained. 

“Why’s that?” He asked. 

She turned her head up to look towards him, “Well, imagine if it was someone you cared about and you didn’t know they weren’t that person anymore, and now you have to kill that person,” Alyssa said to him, “It’s horrible.” 

“But it’s what has to be done,” The angel replied. 

“Yeah, it is, it just sucks it has to be that way,” She sighed, finally looking at him and noticing he seemed like he was sobered up and just looked Sad at this point, “Hey, just so you know, we’ve all been there, with deadbeat dads, so I know how you feel,” Alyssa murmured, realizing that her last conversation with him must not have helped him all that much. 

He shifted, moving slightly closer to her side, “How do you manage it?” He asked. 

She shrugged, “It gets better, it used to be harder, but being with them helps a lot, and on good days, it helps when we get to take down a demon,” Alyssa said with a grin up at the angel. 

Before Cas could respond their attention was captured by the Pastor, “Why does it have to be me?” He asked, looking towards Castiel now. 

“You’re a servant of heaven,” He said, as if it was self explanatory. 

Pastor Gideon didn’t look too pleased at that answer, “And you’re an angel!” He argued. 

Alyssa watched as Cas looked down at the ground, turning stoic, “A poor example of one,” He trailed off. 

“Alright, well, let’s get going before she can send another poor sucker to hell,” Dean decided, also noticing how Castiel’s somber mood practically filled the entire room. 

She decided to try to go comfort the Pastor while her brothers got ready to take down the Whore, hopefully without any problems. It wasn’t easy to console the Pastor either, he obviously didn’t want to do what he had to, but she tried to explain to him what was going on again in a much more empathetic way before Sam and Dean were ready to go. 

The five of them piled into the impala, Alyssa squeezed tightly in between Castiel and the Pastor, the tension in the car very high even when Dean turned on the radio, getting them to the Church in record time. Cas zapped them all outside of the office quickly and he went ahead, grabbing the Whore from behind and then the rest of the group broke into the office with them. 

Leah was screaming at the Pastor to not hurt her, but Alyssa nudged him forwards, hoping he would catch the hint, “Gideon, now!” Sam urged. 

Before anyone could even more, Leah had chanted something under her breath and Cas let out a shout before he collapsed on the ground, and the next thing they knew, she’d thrown out an arm, sending the four of them flying backwards into the wall behind them. 

Immediately, Sam jumped to his feet and pulled the Pastor up with him running after Leah, with Dean following quickly behind them, leaving Alyssa to jump to her feet, and she would’ve ran after them if she hadn’t heard Castiel groaning from where he was still recovering on the ground. 

“Hey,” She said, deciding to change her course of direction in the last second, “Can you stand up?” He let out another moan before pushing himself up off the ground slightly with Alyssa’s help, “What did she do to you?” She asked, letting him slip an arm around her shoulders. 

He let out a deep huff, “She cast a spell, they need to kill her,” Cas breathed. 

Just as the two of them were about to leave the office, Cas straightened up, fully recovered, “What?” Alyssa gasped, pulling away from him at the same time as he zapped the two of them out in the middle of the church to meet her brothers. 

“How did you do that?” Sam asked, staring at Dean who was carrying a the steak Cas had brought in earlier. 

Alyssa’s eyes grew wide as she finally pulled away from Cas, “ _ You _ killed him? I thought you couldn’t?” She demanded. 

Dean shrugged, passing the steak back to Cas, “Long run of luck held out I guess,” He decided. 

After that they decided to bring the Pastor back to their hotel room to get him out of the church where tensions were bound to still be high, but at least they could help him out a little bit for a while they were all still in town.

Sam had given the Pastor some meds while Dean decided to go grab some bandages out of the trunk of the impala. Before anyone knew what was going on, the four of them could hear the impala’s engine rev to life and Sam was running to the door of the motel room, Alyssa close behind, both of them watching Dean pull away from the motel. 

Sam immediately went to run after him, but Alyssa grabbed him by the arm, holding him back, “We can’t get to him tonight,” She rationed, hoping he would listen to her, “The phones still don’t work and we don’t have a car, we can find him in the morning,” She finished, her grip on him relaxing a little bit. 

Her brother nodded, turning around and heading back into the room grabbing his jacket, “Pastor, I’ll walk you home, place should be fine now but better to be safe,” Sam nodded, looking stern. 

Alyssa frowned, she didn’t know how much she could trust Sam to not do anything stupid, but at least she had Cas with her if she needed to get anywhere quickly, she didn’t even realize that just her and Cas had been left in the room by themselves until he walked over to her and plopped down on the bed, sitting right next to her. 

“I think I should take more of those tablets,” He said, gesturing towards the bottle the Pastor had left on the table. 

She nodded, looking where he was pointing, “Yeah, that wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Alyssa decided, watching as the bottle appeared in his hands and he downed another four pills. 

The angel flopped backwards on the bed, letting his arms spread out wide across the bed as he let out a heavy sigh. Alyssa cleared her throat, and sat down next to his dangling legs, trying to offer comfort the best way that she could, “How are you feeling now?” She asked. 

Cas sighed, his eyes closing, “It’s been a long day,” He decided, “Thank you.” 

She pulled her knees up too, this time wrapping her arms around her legs so she was curled up around herself, “Anytime angel,” Alyssa said as she rested her chin on her knees. 

Just then Cas shot up so he was sitting up next to her again, and their eyes met and Alyssa’s whole body erupted in chills, his eyes were focused so intensely on hers that she felt like she couldn’t turn away, and that’s when the weirdest thing happened to her! From all around her, she could see a wall of black feathers appear, the two of them were encased in the feathers, and that’s when she realized that they were Cas’ wings that were wrapped almost tenderly around the pair of them. 

“Cas?” She asked, not being able to look away from his gaze but feelings an intense urge to look at his wings. 

His head was cocked to the side, a look of confusion on his face, “What? Can you… can you see them?” The angel asked, his feathers rippling as he spoke. 

The black feathers shifted once more and seemed to pull tighter around their bodies, Cas hardly seemed to notice, and she shivered once more, out of the corner of her eye realizing how close he was getting to touching her, “I- are those your wings?” She asked, finally breaking away from looking at his eyes and turning around to pay attention to his larger than life appendages. 

“Yes,” He confessed, looking at them as if he too was noticing them for the first time, “Alyssa I don’t think-” 

Before Alyssa knew what she was doing she reached a hand out to brush her fingers against his dark feathers, and when she did she felt electricity run through her whole body, and Cas seemed to feel it too, in the next second, his wings disappeared and he had gotten himself even closer to her side, practically on top of her and forcing her to lean backwards on the bed a little bit more. 

“Jeez Cas, personal space,” She said, feeling slightly spooked. 

“Only an angel’s mate can touch their wings,” Castiel explained quickly, leaning further into her, so that their noses were almost touching. 

Alyssa’s eyes were wide with shock and she would’ve moved back if she could but her shock at the situation froze her in place. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know-” She stuttered, hoping she didn’t just ruin something special for the angel or further convince him of anything...

“No,” He said, “It’s okay, I-” His hand came up to cup her face and he gently rubbed his nose against hers, leaving Alyssa feeling more and more bewildered, by the angel, “I enjoyed it,” He confessed. She wasn’t quite sure where his sudden confidence was coming from but he definitely more handsy than normal. 

“It won’t happen again, I promise,” She said, her eyes wide with surprise. 

Cas closed his eyes, still letting his nose touch Alyssa’s, “I, um, I think I am still inhibited,” He confessed, closing his eyes and letting his hand drop down to her shoulder. 

It took nearly all of her willpower to drag herself away from him, “We should get you in bed, sleep is the best thing for you right now,” She told him, standing up in order to help him lay down. 

The angel let her pull him to his feet and walk him around the bed before gently pushing him down by the shoulders until he was seated on top of his sheets. “Swing your legs up, okay?” She prodded, pushing him in the right direction. 

Thankfully he listened to her and slung his legs up where she wanted him to put them, allowing her to pull his blankets up over his body, “Alright, so I’m going to grab you a garbage bag just in case you get sick, I know you’re not used to that, but in your body you might not be able to stop yourself okay?” She prodded, pulling over the small motel garbage bin to put right next to where he rested his head. 

“I’m sorry, I won’t ever drink a whole liquor store again,” He mumbled into his pillow, looking up under hooded eyes at her. 

She sat down on the side of the bed, reaching her hand up to run it through his hair without thinking, “It’s alright, sometimes you just need to let some steam out,” Alyssa told him, giving him a gentle smile, knowing she had to extend more patience to him than usual in this current situation.

He nodded, sighing as he did so, “I am glad you’re here with me,” Cas confessed tenderly. 

“That’s what  _ friends _ are for, we look after each other, now close your eyes and try to rest for a little while, you’ll start to feel better the sooner you do so,” She told him, still letting her fingers dance through his surprisingly soft hair. 

“I’m an angel, I don’t sleep-” He began. 

Alyssa quickly shushed him, “Just try this once, for me,” She coaxed, knowing that for some reason the angel had a much harder time resisting her pleas, and maybe it was because he thought she was his soulmate, but right now she was going to use that to her advantage. 

He nodded, turning so he was resting on his back and forcing Alyssa to move her hand away from him head, “Can you lay with me for a while, I find your presence very comforting,” Cas asked, closing his eyes as he pulled the covers further up so his entire body was covered with the exception of his head. 

The flush returned to her face in a split second, and she shot to her feet, “I don’t know if that’s the best idea-” She attempted to hurry away from him but before she could slip away into the bathroom his hand had latched itself onto her wrist. 

“Please,” He practically begged, looking up at her with the widest, bluest eyes she’d ever seen. 

Alyssa closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, her wrist still caught in his grasp, “Fine, only until you fall asleep though,” She agreed, kicking her shoes off and shuffling closer to the bed. 

Castiel scooted over underneath the blankets and lifted one side up so that she could slide under with him, “Of course,” He agreed, watching as she joined him. 

It wasn’t until her head fell on the soft pillow that she realized how tired she actually was, and she frowned, realizing she’d have no clue if the angel fell asleep or not, but at the same time she realized she didn’t care, she was just tired! She felt Cas’ hand move towards her and she didn’t bother stopping it as he grabbed her and pulled her up next to him, “You need to rest,” She heard him breathe, his head falling on top of hers, and Alyssa was too tired to argue. 

Her face was pressed up against his chest but she tried not to let the contact between them seem too familiar as she let her eyes fall shut, actually listening to Cas for once and letting herself fall asleep. 


	12. Chapter 12

It took a lot of convincing on Sam’s part but after a while, the siblings finally agreed to go through with his plan to let Satan jump him in hopes of sending him back to the pit. There was no other plan that they had, as long as Lucifer was still able to walk around now this was their best bet, even if it meant sacrificing Sam. The plan was pretty simple, as simple as trapping the devil could’ve been, Sam was going to get hopped up on demon blood and when Lucifer possessed him, Dean was going to use the horsemen's rings to open the gates of hell and Sam was going to jump in, sacrificing himself so the apocalypse could end. 

Of course things didn’t go quite according to plan, and they were left with Lucifer walking around wearing Sam, and they had no clue how they were going to throw him back in the pit! 

Once Lucifer zapped himself out of there, the four of them were quick to leave the building, not knowing what else to do. Alyssa trailed behind Dean and Bobby and Cas stuck close to her side as they made their way back to the impala, only pausing when Dean and Bobby stopped to see the news channel on in a TV store. 

“It’s starting,” Cas commented once him and Alyssa caught up and saw what they were watching. 

Dean barely even bothered to turn around, “Yeah, you think, genius,” He growled, his eyes not moving from the ground. 

Cas frowned, “You don’t have to be mean,” He said, his shoulders rolling back as he looked to Alyssa for confirmation, which she ignored. 

“What do we do now?” She asked instead, looking between the three men. 

The angel shrugged, his hands in his jacket pocket, “I suggest we imbibe copious quantities of alcohol and just wait for the inevitable blast wave,” Cas sighed. 

Dean snorted, “Yeah, swell! I mean how do we stop it,” He groaned, finally turning to look back at the two of them. 

Alyssa notice Cas twitch slightly and she could practically feel the irritation rolling off of him, “We don’t, Lucifer will meet Michael on the chosen field and the battle of Armageddon begins,” He explained. 

“Where’s the chosen field?” Alyssa asked, feeling hopeful. 

“I don’t know,” Cas sighed, looking downtrodden. 

“There’s gotta be something we can do,” Dean scrambled to come up with something but Cas was being less than helpful at the moment. 

“I’m sorry Dean, this is over,” Cas said, his gaze turning to the sidewalk they were standing on. 

Alyssa almost made to step in between Dean and Cas when her brother stepped up to the angel, but Cas pulled her backwards and out of the way, “You listen to me you junkless sissy-” Dean began, only stopping when he noticed Bobby walking away from the three of them, “Bobby?” He asked, turning to see Bobby leaving. 

“There was never much hope to begin with, I don’t know what to do,” He said before he turned away from them once more. 

Alyssa’s heart broke at the sight of Dean dropping his head, “Dean, we’ll figure this out, there’s got to be something we can do,” She said, moving from where Cas had pushed her away before and grabbing her brother’s hand, pulling him along behind Bobby. 

Her older brother sighed, “You heard Cas, we don’t have much of a choice anymore,” He groaned, letting Alyssa pull him alongside her. 

She frowned, this wasn’t like Dean at all, especially when it came to Sam, the two of them walked silently for a few minutes until she had an idea, “What about Chuck?” She asked, perking up, “Cas didn’t know where they’re going to be but he might.” 

She watched as Dean raised an eyebrow in approval, “Not too bad, kiddo,” He grinned halfheartedly, but it was something! 

As soon as they got back to the motel Alyssa, Cas, and Bobby went inside, leaving Dean out by the impala so he could call Chuck in private. Alyssa was quick to collapse on the couch, letting her eyes fall shut as she tried not too think too much about what was happening with Sam right now, it would’ve been too overwhelming if she let herself think too much. 

Bobby was quick to lock himself in their bathroom, leaving Cas and Alyssa alone once more, and it didn’t take long for him to make his way over to where she was laying down. She cracked an eye open, not shocked to see the angel standing right next to her, frowning down at her, “Can I help you?” She asked, closing her eyes again, the exhaustion fully hitting her now. 

She could hear him shuffling around for a moment before there was a weight on the couch with her by her waist, telling her he’d decided to make himself comfortable for the moment, “I want you to know there is nothing we can do,” He began, “Lucifer will only get stronger, and I do not want you to get hurt trying to stop him,” Cas said. 

Alyssa’s eyes shot open and she frowned at him, “I thought you were done trying to tell me what to do,” She scoffed. 

His head shot towards her, his eyes narrowing, “I am not telling you what to do,” He said, his eyebrows furrowing. 

She sighed, her arms coming up to cover her head, “Sure you aren’t,” She mumbled, knowing how stubborn he was most of the time, “Just so you know, Dean’s on the phone with Chuck now, when the sun comes up we’re going to go find Sam, and nothing will convince me not to go after him,” Alyssa decided to confess, it would be easier to try and leave later if she told him about going after Sam now. 

She could feel Cas stiffen up from where he sat next to her, “I- I would rather you not go,” He said. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but laugh, “I know, but I have to,” She told him, wrapping her arms around herself. 

Cas opened his mouth, most likely to argue more with her, but just then Dean came barging back into the room, sparing the couple on the couch a quick look before throwing himself down on the bed Bobby wasn’t occupying, “Cas, would you mind waking us up at five?” Dean grumbled, throwing an arm over his eyes, “We’ve got to get to Lawrence.” 

Alyssa watched as Cas straightened up, “I can do that,” He agreed. 

She gave the angel a small smile, hoping he would keep to his word, “Thanks Cas,” She said, settling down further onto the couch. 

Just as she turned around to pull the blanket off the back of the couch to use, she realized Cas had already beat her to it, throwing the soft push over her shoulders as he shifted to sit closer to her legs, giving her more room to move around, “You’re welcome,” He said, clasping his hands together. 

Alyssa pulled the blanket tighter around herself and let herself relax, there was no point in being stressed about anything when it was likely her and her brothers would end up dead the next morning, so she let herself fall into sleep, faster than she’d been able to in weeks.

* * *

 

As soon as Cas had woken them both up, Alyssa got dressed in record time and the two siblings met at the impala, ready to head out before Bobby and Cas had followed them. 

“You going someplace?” Bobby asked, “You’re both going to do something stupid,” He accused. 

Dean nodded, shutting the trunk of the impala, “We’re going to go talk to Sam,” He confessed, a small smile on his face. 

Bobby sighed, clearly not impressed with either one of them, “You two just don’t give up!” 

Alyssa sighed, she didn’t like to fight with Bobby, but he wasn’t going to be able to keep them away from their brother, “It’s Sam,” She argued. 

Clearly Cas wasn’t done with their conversation from last night either, “If you couldn’t reach him here, you certainly won’t be able to on the battlefield,” The angel frowned, stepping towards the siblings. 

Alyssa’s heart dropped, Cas wasn’t going to try to really stop them, was he? If he really didn’t want them- want  _ her _ to go, he’d be able to stop her from going. 

Dean shrugged, sounding anxious to get going, “Well if we’ve already lost we’ve got nothing to lose, right?” He asked, capturing Cas’ attention back from Alyssa. 

Cas sighed, his eyes locking with Alyssa’s again, “I just want you to understand- The only thing you’re going to see out there is Michael killing your brother,” He explained, nodding towards Alyssa. 

She walked around the impala, happy Cas wasn’t going to try to stop them, “We’re not going to let him die alone,” She said with a sad smile before opening the passenger seat door and hopping inside, Dean following her lead before the two of them were speeding off to Lawrence. 

The car ride went by much faster than Alyssa would’ve expected and Dean’s music choice definitely helped with that, the two of them sang along in a strange attempt to block out what most likely was going to be their last day alive. 

When Dean pulled into Stull Cemetery, Alyssa could immediately see the two familiar figures standing off in the center of the Cemetery and Dean noticed too, pulling the impala pretty much as close as he could get to the two angels without hitting them. 

“Howdy Boys,” Dean announced, climbing out of the impala, “Sorry, are we interrupting something?” He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

Alyssa followed suit, moving to stand next to Dean, “We need to talk,” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Sam, or Lucifer, turned towards them, looking almost amused, but definitely more pissed off than anything, “Dean, Alyssa,” He greeted, “Even for you, this is a whole new mountain of stupid.” 

Dean frowned, “I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to Sam,” He said looking determined. 

Michael stepped forwards, “You’re no longer the vessel, Dean, you’ve got no right to be here, and you,” He turned to Alyssa, “You’ve never been part of this story.” 

“Adam, if you’re in there, I am so sorry,” Dean sighed, his arms coming up in surrender, “But right now, I need five minutes with him,” He said, pointing towards Lucifer once more. 

Michael stepped forwards, looking ready to attack, “You little maggot, you are no longer a part of this story!” The archangel shouted. 

Alyssa felt her entire being telling her to retreat, to runaway, but before Michael could do anything to either of them, a familiar angel popped up right next to her, holding an old bottle that was flaming at the top, “Hey assbutt!” Cas growled, and just as Michael turned to Cas, he threw the bottle, hitting Michael dead on and sending him up in flames. 

She couldn’t help but feel thrilled when she saw Cas and Bobby here and for some reason it took all she had to not throw her arms around Cas in thanks, “Assbutt?” She decided to ask instead, forcing herself to not smile at him. 

Cas definitely wasn’t smiling though, “He’ll be back, and upset- but you’ve got your five minutes,” He told them before Lucifer made himself known again. 

“Castiel,” The devil growled, “Did you just molotov my brother with Holy Fire?” He asked, stalking towards them. 

Alyssa’s eyes went wide as Cas backed up, raising his hands in defense, “Uh, no,” He argued. 

She went to pull Castiel backwards, but didn’t even get close enough to touch him before Lucifer was speaking again, “No one dicks with Michael but me,” And before anyone could say anything else, Lucifer was snapping his fingers and Cas literally exploded, sending his blood all over the Dean, Bobby and Alyssa. 

Alyssa froze, her body seizing up as soon as she saw the angel explode right in front of them, it felt like she literally couldn’t move, she was sure her heart had stopped. The next thing she faintly felt was a ringing in her ears and before she knew what was happening she felt herself being thrown backwards and crashing onto the hood of the impala, Dean landing right next to her, but she still barely realized what was going on. 

She could hear Dean scream at something, but she could barely be bothered to care, she just felt so drained! She managed to push herself up slightly when she realized Dean wasn’t lying on the hood with her anymore and it took her another minute to realize Bobby was laying on the ground, most likely dead, and Dean was nearly being beat to a pulp by Lucifer as she struggled to even comprehend what was going on. 

She frowned, forcing herself not to pass out against the hood as she watched Lucifer continue to beat Dean right in front of her, but she could barely think let alone do anything to stop him, “Sam?” She managed to ask, sliding to her feet and raising her hands in a poor attempt to push him away from Dean. 

All Lucifer did was pull away from Dean for a split second to look up at her, “I thought I took you out of the picture when I killed your angel?” He asked with a grin, “Guess I was wrong,” And before Alyssa could even react, she saw him raise and hand and she felt his fist dig itself into her face, sending her flying backwards. 

Her vision went black after that, and she could only partially hear what was going on around her, she wasn’t quite passed out yet, but she was close to it. A minute later after laying there in a strange state, Alyssa finally let herself take a deep breath in, and her eyes snapped open to find Cas standing above her, holding his hand out to her and pulling her to her feet, “Cas? You’re alive?” She asked, letting his hand trail over her cheek as he healed her where Lucifer had punched her earlier. 

“I’m better than that,” The angel said offering her a small smile. 

Cas turned to Dean, pulling her brother to his feet after he healed him, too, “Cas are you God?” Dean asked in awe. 

“That is a nice compliment, but no,” Cas said, moving over to Bobby now and resurrecting him like it was nothing, “Although, I do believe he brought me back, new and improved,” The angel finished, returning to where Alyssa was practically gawking at him, “Are you alright?” He asked, frowning when he noticed how pale she looked. 

She nodded, not being able to tear her eyes away from him, “Yeah, I’m fine,” She trailed off, her mind going a hundred miles a minute. 

He gave her a skeptical look, and next thing Alyssa knew, he was leading her towards the impala with an arm around her shoulder, “We should leave,” Cas instructed as he helped Alyssa into the backseat of the impala. 

Soon enough Bobby and Dean joined them and they were heading off again, not given themselves even a short break to mourn over the loss of Sam, he was just gone! 

She could feel her exhaustion hit her again, but at least this time it wasn’t like she was going into a coma, she was just tired, and Sam was gone, it was just a lot for her to handle. 

Cas nudged her, looking concerned for the most part, “I’m fine,” She assured him, but in the next instance she felt herself falling sideways into the angel, not being able to hold herself up any longer. Of course Cas immediately caught her, letting her fall up against him so practically all of her weight was on top of him. 

“She doesn’t look fine to me,” Bobby said, turning back towards Alyssa as her exhaustion hit. 

Cas turned towards Alyssa so he could shift her weight and wrap and arm around her shoulders, “It’s fatigue,” The angel explained as Alyssa’s eyes slipped shut, “She’s been over exerting herself for the past few days and it’s catching up to her now,” He finished, his hand trailing up and down her back. 

She sighed, feeling herself relax further into his side, not being able to stop herself, he was definitely right, she was more than fatigued, “Perhaps I should take her somewhere she can rest,” She could hear Cas murmur under his breath. 

Thankfully Dean heard him and was quick to agree, “Yeah, if she needs it get her out of here, I’ll call you,” He said, not looking away from the road, eyes hard and focused. 

Alyssa barely felt it as Cas pulled her firmly to his side before zapping them into a spare room in Bobby’s house where she was immediately set down on the bed before he set his hand on the top of her forehead and Alyssa felt her energy come rushing back to her. 

She was confused, laying there and not quite knowing how she got there, but it wasn’t a bad feeling, “What’s going on?” She asked, furrowing her brow in confusion. 

Cas had sat down on the side of her bed and he was staring at her with wide eyes, “I brought you back to Bobby’s so you could get some rest,” He explained. 

“But you just… you just gave me some rest, I feel fine,” She said, confusion present in her tone, “What’s going on?” She repeated. 

The angel shifted on the bed, “I need to apologize,” He began, “I know how you felt when I died- I fear because you are my soulmate and you and I are connected-” Cas tried to explain, but she cut him off. 

“No, Lucifer did something to me, he  _ said _ that he did something to me, it wasn’t because of you… dying,” She frowned, moving to get up out of the bed before Cas stilled her with a hand to her leg. 

He shook his head, “He did do something to you because he killed me,” Cas argued, “If you would just believe me then we could try to figure something out so if anything happens to me you will not be harmed,” The angel said, sounding almost angry with her, “Do you remember how you felt the first time I died?” He asked. 

She did. 

She remembered the initial feelings she had to deal with, it definitely wasn’t as intense as this time, but she was empty, there was something missing, but it couldn’t have been because he was dead, it was because they’d started the apocalypse! And then when he came back… she was just hopeful, with an angel on their side they easily had a much better chance at stopping the apocalypse, and clearly they had been able to do that. 

“You’re crazy,” She scoffed, finding it was the only thing she could think of to say to him, she was incredibly overwhelmed, “Cas, I just don’t get how you don’t understand, there’s no way we could be soulmates, you’re an angel!” She exclaimed, getting herself riled up. 

He narrowed his eyes at her, “I don’t understand why you will not listen to me,” He shot back at her, “It’s one thing if you do not want to believe me but when I’m trying to help you not get hurt when I do, you need to let me protect you,” He insisted. 

“Fine,” She said, throwing her hands up, “ _ If  _ I decide to agree with you for the sake of not arguing, how would we fix this?” She asked, just then noticing that her necklace was humming against her skin. 

He shifted once more but finally seemed to relax a little bit, “There are only a few known ways, the first one would be both our deaths,” He explained with a shake of his head, “Other have broken their bond, which I will not do,” He said before she could even protest, “The third way is to finalize our bond,” He finished, looking to Alyssa to see her reaction. 

She frowned, not knowing how to respond to him, “Wouldn’t it just be easier to end whatever is going on between us?” She asked, not being able to avoid the subject even though he practically shut that one down from the start. 

Cas immediately stood up from where he was sitting and turned to face her, “I told you I will not,” He enforced, his eyes flashing almost dangerously. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but have her breath catch when he stood up, “Why not?” She demanded, not wanting to back down. 

He looked down at his feet, clearly not looking like he wanted to answer her question, “It would be very painful, for the both of us, and I do not want to,” He confessed, getting quieter. 

She jumped to her feet, not knowing how to respond to that, his answer was what she  _ least _ expected, “You don’t want to?” She repeated, happy the bed was in between them since she didn’t know if she could handle being much closer to him at the moment. 

Cas nodded, not making eye contact with her, “No, I do not, most angels do not get a soulmate, and I do not want to lose mine,” He frowned, finally locking eyes with her from across the room. 

“But then what other option is there?” She asked, wanting to be anywhere else but with him at the moment. 

She couldn’t stop him as he started walking towards her, she just froze, not knowing what else to do, “We can complete it and be bound fully, as intended,” He explained, stopping barely a foot away from her. 

“What does that mean?” She pressed, not wanting to be tricked into anything today especially after what had happened just a few hours ago, to say she was emotionally drained was an understatement. 

“Our souls would become one, we would be fully promised to one another. Unlike now, since we will have completed our bond, you would not hurt if I do, it doesn’t make sense, but you would be safe,” He explained, leaving Alyssa to watch as his eyes practically glazed over in something she couldn’t describe. 

She shook her head, this was too much for her to handle right now, Sam had just sacrificed himself to Lucifer and now Cas was trying harder than ever to convince her they were soulmates, it wasn’t something she could think clearly about at the moment. “I can’t think about this right now,” She pushed past him, or tried to, but was stopped when he reached out to grab her by the arm, pulling her back to him, “Stop,” She complained, pulling against him. 

He didn’t stop, instead he chose to spin her around pull her into the circle of his arms, “No,” He enforced, his head coming down to rest on top of her head, “I am sorry,” He mumbled, “I shouldn’t have brought it up right now, I just do not want you getting hurt.” Cas confessed. 

She relaxed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to throw him off of her and let her arms come up to wrap around him in response, it was almost  _ nice _ . “It’s… okay,” She said, lamely, letting her eyes fall shut as she practically collapsed in his arms. 

“I am sorry- for Sam,” He sighed, “I know it will be hard for you without your brother, and I know you want Dean to find his Lisa, but I will not abandon you,” He promised. 

She could hear the sound of wings from around her and it didn’t take her long to realize his dark wings had wrapped themselves around the pair, practically cocooning them. “I don’t want to talk about this right now-” She started, only to have him cut her off.

Cas pressed on, “I just need you to know, I will be here for you, you can call for me whenever,” He pulled away slightly, so he could look down at her.

She didn’t even notice him pulling away, his arms around her just felt so relaxing and so comforting at the moment, it was just what she needed. She felt her pull herself closer to him, almost like she couldn’t help it, letting her face fall flat against his chest, the rough material of his coat barely even phasing her. 

“Thanks Cas,” She sighed, her hands grasping the back of his coat. 

She barely noticed when he returned to the embrace again, pushing her backwards towards her bed, “You are welcome,” Before she could answer him, she felt herself being pushed away from him and she was falling flat onto the bed. 

Her eyes shot open, shocked to find herself flat on his back instead of wrapped up in his comfortable embrace, “Oh,” She mumbled, pushing herself up so she could see him again, but when she did, he was gone. 

She frowned, getting up to her feet and looking around the room, “Cas?” She asked, feeling very confused when he was nowhere to be found. Despite her present exhaustion, she decided to venture through Bobby’s house to see where Dean and Bobby were, unless Cas had zapped her here while they were still on the drive when she nearly passed out, but she wasn’t sure. 

Of course his house was empty, and Cas was nowhere to be seen, which she wasn’t sure if she should be upset about or enjoy her alone time. After grabbing a glass of water she made her way back up to her room and collapsed on the bed. 

_ ‘Jerk’ _ She thought, hoping Cas would be able to hear her after he’d left her alone, just when he said that was what he wasn’t going to do  _ ‘Thought you weren’t leaving’ _ She hissed, throwing a blanket over her shoulders, feeling a little bit more than bitter at the moment. 

She had no clue where Dean and Bobby were, her bag which most likely had her phone in it, was definitely still with the guys in the impala so she couldn’t even call them, and it was finally hitting her that Sam was gone, now that she had a second to think. 

She didn’t know when she started crying or for how long she cried for but the next thing she knew she was waking up to a loud knock on her door. 

Alyssa threw the covers of the messy bed off of her and walked over to the door before wiping at her cheeks so she didn’t look as distressed as she felt, and opened it, knowing it was going to be Bobby or Dean since she was sure Cas would’ve just let himself in. 

Dean was standing on the other side of the door, and before she could even say anything, her brother was stepping up to her and wrapping her up in a hug, which she immediately fell into, just happy to be with someone at the moment. 

“You alright?” He grumbled, his cheek pressed against her head. 

She sighed, “No,” She confessed with a breathy laugh. 

Dean let out a small, unconvincing laugh of his own, “Yeah, me too,” He said, letting her go and stepping back to lean up against the door frame, “Where’d Cas go? Thought he would’ve stuck around,” He frowned, finally getting a good look around her room. 

She frowned, running a hand through her hair, “He left, don’t know where he went,” She shrugged, trying to ignore the catch in her throat. 

Thankfully, he didn’t press the matter and instead chose to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her out of her room, “Come on, let’s go talk to Bobby,” He instructed, much to her pleasure, happy to not be alone anymore.

* * *

 

After that, days were spent in Bobby’s house, grieving over the loss of Sam, with no sign of Cas either. Eventually, Bobby and Alyssa managed to convince Dean to go visit Lisa, and it didn’t take long for Alyssa to figure out after that he was going to stay with her, which she didn’t mind too much, she knew it was coming since it was basically Sam’s dying wish. Her and Bobby spent most of their time taking house calls, helping out where they could, but life just felt  _ easier  _ now that the apocalypse was over. 

It had been about two weeks without Dean before anything significant had happened. 

Her and Bobby had been in the middle of doing some research about a creature couple miles away from his house that a group of hunters Bobby knew had been trying to hunt, she was sitting in the living room on his couch with a book in her lap, trying to learn all she could about whatever it was the hunters were trying to catch. 

It started as something small, a light headache, something that normally wouldn’t have bothered her, so she ignored it, but it wasn’t until it started to become more like a pounding migraine she got up to go get herself a glass of water or some meds. As soon as she sat up she felt her legs go weak, but she forced herself to go to walk into the kitchen, hoping to at least be able to get some water, she couldn’t really remember the last time she’d had a glass of water… 

She’d just barely reached the fridge when she felt her knees buckle, and she would’ve collapsed if it weren’t for two strong arms holding her up before she could fall. Her headache instantly disappeared and just as it did she regained her footing and ripped herself out of the pair of familiar arms, pressing herself back up against Bobby’s counters. 

Of course it was Castiel, standing right there like he hadn’t abandoned her for the last two weeks after promising he wouldn’t, looking as healthy as ever. Before he even had a chance to say anything she reached out and shoved him away from her, marching past him and back into the living room where she’d left her research. 

“Alyssa,” The angel called, trailing after her, “I can explain-” 

She didn’t even bother listening to him, grabbing her book and brushing past him once more to head up the stairs, hoping to be able to lock him out of her room, not that ever stopped him. 

Before she could even make it to the stairs he had appeared in front of her, startling her enough to drop her book between them, and giving him enough time to start talking, “When Lucifer and Michael were thrown into Hell Heaven was thrown into chaos, I was called back, there is a war,” He explained quickly. 

She narrowed her eyes, “You couldn’t have sent a letter?” She practically sneered, not liking how casually he was handling this situation.

“I- Heaven is at war,” He stuttered, looking confused. 

Alyssa huffed, picking up her book off the ground and walking back towards the couch before sitting down again, “That’s not the point,” She grumbled, settling down on the couch and doing her best to ignore him. 

She wasn’t able to ignore him too well when he sat down right next to her, “Alyssa-” He began again, turning his body to face hers. 

“You don’t get it, Castiel,” She huffed, closing her book and clearly realizing that he was not going to leave her alone, “I just lost my brother and you told me I could call for you whenever, and believe me, I’ve been calling,” She hissed, finally finding an outlet for her frustration; yelling at Cas. 

He frowned, looking visibly upset, “I’ve been trying to command my troops, it’s been chaos,” He mumbled. 

“Sure,” Alyssa said, rolling her eyes, “It’s still been weeks, Dean’s gone, I’m sure you know, it’s just me and Bobby now,” She explained to him, “I’ve been asking for you every day and you promised you would be here,” She snapped. 

The angel looked almost distraught, “I know, I’m sorry, I heard you and I tried to come down here,” He said, staring at her with his annoyingly big blue eyes, “But I was stuck in heaven for these weeks, no one was allowed in or out,” He told her. 

That caught her attention, she trusted the angel wouldn’t lie to her, but there was still no way he could’ve let her know what he was up to, even with their freaky telepathic communication thing they had going on, and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it if she could help it, “You couldn’t have answered even though you heard me?” She accused. 

He frowned, “I tried, I do not understand why you didn’t hear me, but heaven… We had been abandoned and there was no one to give orders, angel ‘radio’ was overwhelming, we could barely think most days, but now things are fleshing out,” He explained, “I could hear you amidst everything, but I guess I couldn’t communicate to you,” He finished a little lamely. 

She furrowed her brow, conflicted. She felt bad for him, and she knew deep down that if he could’ve come he would’ve, clearly he was going through something rough in heaven, but he still promised, and she was still grieving, she needed someone, and Bobby had never been the best to be with while grieving, he’d been drunk most of the time, but she didn’t know how to express this to Cas. 

“Alright, fine,” She conceded, “I forgive you,” The smile that lit up the angels face when she said that was more than she was prepared for and she found herself wanting to smile back. Despite being pissed at him she had missed him too, and since he was pretty much all she had left she didn’t want to give that up so quickly, “You said there’s a war?” She asked, her curiosity peaking. 

His smile immediately disappeared, “Yes, Raphael wants to take over, and he has a large following that is in favor of restarting the apocalypse, while my followers are also fighting to keep the apocalypse in the past,” He told her, turning solemn. 

“The apocalypse?” She demanded, her anger spiking again. 

He nodded, “Yes, I promise I will do all in my power to stop it from happening,” He told her, scooting slightly closer to her on the couch. 

She finally moved her closed book from her lap to set it down on the table, turning to face him better in her new position, “So, how long can you stay here for?” She asked, not knowing if she wanted to hear the answer. 

Cas shifted around as he rubbed his palms together, “I will stay as long as you need me,” He decided, leaning back to get closer to her. 

A small smile came to her face without realizing it and before she knew what she was doing the shifted forwards and hesitantly pulled herself to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug, “I missed you,” She muttered, her forehead falling on his shoulder as he moved to accommodate her embrace. 

“I missed you too,” He sighed, his hands coming up to hold her to him, one resting on her waist and the other sliding up to rest on the back of her head, “Hearing you try to call for me helped get me through the first few weeks of our civil war,” He confessed. 

She was happy to be done arguing with him and to finally just take a break to get some much needed comfort. After Dean had left with Lisa and she was practically left to her own defenses she just needed this, for her sanity. “I’m sorry,” She confessed, not wanting to overwhelm him with her need for contact, “I’ve just been… alone,” She said with a laugh, but still not letting him go. 

He started to move, like he was going to pull away from her and before she could stop herself she grabbed onto his jacket, practically begging him to hold on to her, “No, just a little bit longer, please?” She asked, feeling a little embarrassed but needing the contact more. 

“Of course,” He agreed sounding happy with himself. 

She settled herself right up next to him, practically as close as she could get without being on his lap and then she let herself collapse against him, leaning against his chest, “I don’t want to keep you too long,” She confessed, feeling herself get drowsy the longer she lay slumped by his side. 

He hummed in response, “I told you, I will stay as long as you need me,” He repeated, and the next thing she knew, she was falling asleep in his warm embrace. 


	13. Chapter 13

Finding out Sam was back from the dead was a shock, needless to say. But finding out he’d been back for the better part of a year without him or Bobby telling her, that was something she didn’t expect. Things only got crazier when she met Samuel, and some of that side of the family. She didn’t clash too well with the Campbell’s, but she wasn’t outwardly opposed to working with them either. Thankfully, Sam seemed to be really back from hell, too, he wasn’t possessed or anything, he was just him, if anything he was even more ruthless on hunts, a little weird but she was sure he was just trying to get out his pent up aggression from being possessed by the Devil himself. She was glad when Sam decided to go to Dean for help on a case too, it was hard not telling him that Sam was back, but she understood why they had to do it, Dean was happy. And even though she frequented Lisa’s house for a quick visit, she never talked about her work, she wanted him to be as far away from it as possible with Lisa and Ben, they really worked well for him. Needless to say, it wasn’t fun when the brothers reunited, there was definitely tension when Dean found out how long Sam had been back for, but eventually the two of them made up and it was an almost sweet reunion, if it weren’t for the looming threat of something going on in Dean’s new neighborhood. 

It didn’t take long for Alyssa to figure out that Sam and Dean hadn’t heard from Cas in a while either, the angel seemed to be ignoring the two of them for some reason and she didn’t know why. Sure, his visits on her hunts were short and far in between, but whenever she called to him he showed up, so it was strange he was neglecting Sam, but she didn’t press the matter, she realized Cas was busy, there wasn’t much they could do while he was in the middle of a war! 

But that didn’t stop her from trying to ask him about Sam. 

_ “Cas, I’ve got a question,” _ She muttered once she finally got some alone time. 

It didn’t take long for the angel to pop up next to her, “How can I be of help?” He asked. This was how their conversations went for the past year, unless he miraculously had time off, but he’d answer her and them zap off to wherever he had to be. 

She turned to face him, offering him a small smile when she did, “About Sam, why haven’t you been answering him?” She asked, her smile disappearing as she crossed her arms over her chest.  

Cas shifted, “I would have come to him if I had answers, I do not know how your brother escaped hell, and I don’t have time to spare,” He deadpanned, raising his eyebrows. 

Alyssa understood what he was saying, even if she wasn’t happy about it, “Alright, thanks, I’ll see you soon,” She told him before he zapped out of there, leaving her alone again. 

As of recent he’s been pretty busy, but the two of them had some meaningful conversations at some points in the last year, he’d still been pretty insistent about trying to get her to fully ‘bond’ with him, and she still gave him a hard time about not wanting to commit to anything, but there had been some more than awkward encounters between the two of them.

The first few weeks after he’d told her about the war in heaven, he’d popped up left and right, each time warning her if he was to get hurt in his war she would feel it and each time she turned him down, not wanting to talk about the subject more than she had to. 

Thankfully it didn’t take long for Cas to decide to return Sam and Dean’s calls, or- to return Dean’s call. 

Her and her brothers were working together again, on a case regarding a couple of dead policemen, something Sam suspected to involve an Egyptian curse or something like that, and of course she had to come back to the motel room to find her brothers and Cas standing there looking like an argument was brewing and someone was going to explode any second. 

“Hello?” Sam was repeating, looking frazzled, “So what, you like him better or something?” Sam demanded, gesturing towards Dean who stood almost awkwardly behind him. 

Cas stood stiffly, “Dean and I do share a more profound bond, I wasn’t going to mention it,” He said, turning his head as if he finally noticed Alyssa had joined them. 

Sam noticed her too, something she could’ve gone without, “You’re not surprised to see him?” Sam demanded, furrowing his brow. 

Alyssa bit her lip, “Why would she be? I saw her yesterday,” Cas explained before Alyssa could say anything. 

“Are you joking-” Sam began, his eyes locked on Alyssa. Sam was forced to step back quickly when Cas stepped in between the siblings, and she could’ve  _ sworn _ she heard him growl.

Sam and Dean didn’t look too happy with her, and this was something they were clearly going to talk about later, thankfully, for now, Dean decided to change their conversation by clearing his throat, causing both Sam and Cas to back down, “Cas,” He began, catching the angel’s attention once more, “I think what Sam’s trying to say is that… he went to hell for us, remember that? And then he came back without a clue and you can’t take five friggen minutes to give him some answers,” Then he was glaring at her, “And you’ve been buddy buddy with him this whole time?” 

Alyssa walked further into the room, moving from where she was almost hiding standing right by the door to the motel room and coming up so she was almost next to Cas, “I would’ve told you-” Alyssa began before Cas cut her off. 

“I told her not to,” He lied, shooting her a look before turning back to her brothers, “If I had any answers I might have responded, but I don’t know, Sam, I have no idea who brought you back from the cage, or why,” The angel confessed, narrowing his eyes at the brothers. 

Alyssa could tell that they were still pretty pissed, but thankfully it seemed like the conversation was dropped for the time being, “So it wasn’t God?” Sam clarified. 

He shook his head, “No one’s even seen God, the whole thing’s been very mysterious,” Cas explained. 

 “What does that mean?” Sam demanded. 

Alyssa was starting to get annoyed with his accusations, “He doesn’t know, Sam, that’s not going to change the more you grill him,” She frowned, crossing his arms over her chest before throwing herself down on the nearest chair by the table. 

Dean sighed, “Look Cas, if Sam calls, you answer, you wing your ass down here and you tell him you don’t know! Just because we have some bond or whatever-” Dean began, looking annoyed. 

“You think I came because you called?” Cas shot back, turning his attention to where the research was spread out in front of where Alyssa was sitting, “I came because of this.” 

The angel moved closer to the table, his eyes scanning over the research, landing on Alyssa briefly before moving back to what he was looking at before, “So you and the halo patrol aren’t the cause of these killings?” Sam asked. 

“No, but they were committed with one of our weapons, you call it the Staff of Moses,” He declared. 

Alyssa’s mind was racing, “I thought it turned a river into blood, not one person,” She clarified. 

“The weapon isn’t being used at full capacity, I think we can rule out Moses as a suspect,” He said, leaving Alyssa to wonder if he was making a joke or not. 

Dean started pacing, “Okay, but what is- what is Chuck Heston’s disco stick doing down here anyways? I mean don’t you guys put away your toys?” He grit out. 

Cas had moved so he was further in the room now, standing almost directly behind Alyssa, and she didn’t know if she felt comforted by that or if it made her feel like she was going to get an even harsher talking to from her brothers later, “Before the apocalypse, heaven may have been corrupt, but it was stable,” He explained, “The staff was safely contained, but it’s been chaos up there since the war ended. In that confusion, a number of… powerful weapons… were stolen,” He explained carefully, his eyes flickering between the three siblings, gauging their reactions. 

Dean froze, his pacing ceasing instantly and Sam’s face showed very present concern for what Cas was implying, and Alyssa couldn’t help but to turn around so she could get a better look at the angel who was shifting awkwardly on his feet at the delivery of the horrible news, “So you’re saying all of heaven’s nukes are loose right now?” She demanded, her brow furrowing. 

Cas let out a sigh, “Yes, I’m afraid so,” He confessed, “But you’ve stumbled upon one of them and we must find the weapon that did this. I need your help,” He decided, stepping back so he could have all three siblings in his line of sight. 

Sam let out a dry laugh, “That’s rich, really,” He scoffed. 

Alyssa knew that she would help the angel, something strange had come from their relationship in the last year, nothing too serious, but because she didn’t have much time with Dean and they believed Sam was dead for most of the last year and Bobby was drunk more often than not, Cas came to be the person she’d confided in most of the time, when he was available at least, which wasn’t a lot but it was enough. She owed him, he was there for her like he promised he would be, and even though that changed  _ nothing _ about her very stubborn opinion on the fact she was  _ not _ his soulmate, she could agree that they were friends now, friends that got along really well. 

“Listen,” Cas began, “My ‘people skills’ may be rusty, pardon me but I have spent the last year as a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent, but believe me, you  _ do not want _ that weapon down here. Help me find it, or more people will die,” He promised, his face hard and unreadable. 

She was quick to get to her feet, looking in between both her brothers, “We need to get this weapon back into heaven, at least it will be safe there,” She agreed with Cas, hoping her brothers would see past their anger at the moment and agree to help him. 

“Alright, okay,” Dean agreed, rubbing at his face hesitantly, “Well if the angels didn’t pull the trigger, then that brings us back to the motive,” He began, and Alyssa was happy that his mind was in the right place for the moment. 

Cas didn’t seem to understand though, “What?” He asked, looking confused. Alyssa almost found it cute, but she quickly caught herself and shook her head, stopping the thought before it was even fully formed. 

Sam sighed, opening a laptop but not looking too thrilled with his situation, “Back to the case,” He began, “Right now we’ve got three dead cops, only thing linking them is this…” He grabbed an old newspaper clipping and read from the article. 

Alyssa began rummaging through the newspaper clippings on the table that they had as evidence or just anything that they thought would help, but Cas was quick to decide that they needed to leave and talk to a Mr. Darryl Birch who he believed could be the only person causing these murders. 

Without any word of warning, Cas had pulled Alyssa over to where her two brothers were sitting and with her holding onto his arm he was able to touch Sam and Dean each with a finger, instantly sending them to a brand new location, “A little warning next time,” Dean mumbled, once he’d regained his footing after the surprise shift in location. 

They were in a small living room which looked even smaller with her two huge brothers looming in the room, and it didn’t take long for the man sitting on the couch to perk up, “How the hell did you get in here?” He demanded, looking between the four of them, confusion clear in his features. 

“Mr. Birch,” Sam said hurriedly, taking out his badge and flashing it to the man, “Settle down, we’re Federal Agents,” He assured him, quickly making order once more. 

“But you can’t just walk in here!” The man cried out. 

Sam pointed at the table in front of Birch, and Alyssa’s eyes shot towards the many newspaper clippings that he’d laid out over the table, “Quite a collection you’ve got there, huh?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Birch frowned, his eyes running over the clippings quickly before coming back up to Sam, “What are you-?” He began to ask, only to be cut off. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but to feel bad for the man, but at the same time, she had to remember that he’d been going around killing a bunch of people the last couple of days, they couldn’t just let something like that go, “Look we know the truth, alright, Chris didn’t have a gun on him when those cops shot him, they set him up,” Sam explained as he approached the man. 

The man nodded, furrowing his brow as he was forced to look up at Sam, “Yeah, they’re all getting theirs,” He agreed. 

“And who’s giving it to them, Darryl?” Sam asked, going in for the kill. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but frown as she watched how Sam approached the man, he was almost being strange in his tactics towards Birch, being a lot sterner than he usually was, but at least it would get answers from the man, which was all they needed at the moment. 

Dean surged forwards after Birch didn’t respond to Sam’s accusations, “Did you kill Toby Gray and the others?” He asked, his gaze hard on the man. 

Birch backed up, his eyes wide with surprise, “Me?” He demanded, “I didn’t kill anyone, look at how they died!” He managed to stammer out. 

Alyssa watched the man react to the news, he honestly did look surprised about the accusation, but some of the people they went after were really good liars, they’d hopefully find out what was going on soon, “You smote them with the Staff of Moses,” Cas growled, moving to stand next to Sam now so the three of them were one intimidating lineup. 

“The hell kind of fed are you?” Birch demanded. 

Cas turned to Sam quickly before closing the distance between himself and their vic, “We don’t have time for this,” He argued, marching up to the man and lowering his gaze to meet his eyes, “Where is it?” He demanded. 

Suddenly there was another person in the room with them, standing very close to Alyssa’s side, “Get away from my dad!” The child demanded, brandishing a strange stick in Cas’ direction, like he was going to hurt him with it. 

Cas’ eyes lit up in recognition, “Is that?” He asked, like he was talking to himself before nodding and muttering a quiet ‘yes’ to himself. 

“Shouldn’t it be bigger?” Alyssa asked, frowning at the so called weapon. 

Cas nodded, taking a step closer to the child, “Yes, it’s been cut off,” He informed them. 

However, the young boy looked like he did not want their conversation to continue, “Leave him alone, he hasn’t done anything!” He enforced, the stick in his hands shaking. 

“Aaron, get out of here!” The kid’s father warned, eyes wide in panic. 

Instantly, Cas turned around, pressing his fingers to Birch’s head and causing him to fall straight onto the couch he’d been forced off of earlier, in a deep sleep, “What did you do to him?” Aaron demanded. 

Alyssa was quick to turn to the young boy, holding her hands out in a comforting manner, “It’s alright, he’s just sleeping,” She assured him, offering him a small smile, hoping that she’d be able to keep the boy calm. 

It didn’t work in her favor though, as she tried to move closer to him, she found the staff pointed straight in her face, his hands shaking even more now. Before she could try another attempt at keeping him calm, Cas had appeared right by his side, ripping the staff out of his hands, a look of intense anger on his face. 

“Hey, calm down,” Alyssa immediately insisted, standing so Cas wouldn’t look as intimidating at his full height, Staff in hand, “Aaron, we’re not here to hurt you, okay?” She offered, turning back to the boy who was staring at Cas as if the angel was going to kill him if he looked away, “But we need to know where you got this thing.” 

Finally the boy turned to face her, his breath coming out in heavy pants, “Please don’t kill my dad, it was me,” He confessed, tears close to welling up in his eyes.    


Dean took a step forward, “Okay, okay, nobody’s killing anybody,” He assured the kid, “Your name’s Aaron?” He clarified. 

Aaron nodded, “Aaron Birch,” He agreed, tears brimming in his eyes. 

Alyssa was pleased to see that Dean was able to put away his aggression while he was talking to this young boy, clearly being with Lisa and Ben was good for him and she hoped that he’d be able to get back to them as quickly as possible, but for now she was happy to let him take the lead when it came to talking to Aaron, since at this point he easily had the most experience with the whole thing, “Okay, Aaron Birch, where did you get this?” Dean continued, pointing towards the stick that Castiel still held. 

The young boy shook his head, “You wouldn’t believe me,” He confessed, still looking a little nervous. 

Dean offered him a laugh, “Try me,” He bargained. 

Aaron’s eyes shifted from Dean to Cas before coming back to Dean again, “It was an angel,” He confessed, “Those liars, they killed my brother, and nothing bad even happened to them. It’s not fair! So I prayed to God every night he would punish them. God didn’t answer, but he did,” Alyssa could tell that the kid was upset, and rightfully so, but she was just happy at this point that Cas had taken the stick from him earlier, before it was too late. 

Cas took a step forward, his face hard as he stared down at the boy, “His name- did he give you a name?” He demanded. 

Alyssa turned her head sharply to glare at him, hoping he would get the hint that he couldn’t talk to a child like that, but he wasn’t making eye contact with her, just staring down at the child. 

Thankfully, Aaron didn’t look as intimidated this time around when Cas approached him, “No, he just said I could have justice, but I was going to have to do it myself… He gave me this stick,” He explained. 

Alyssa felt like something was up, something was definitely wrong with this whole situation, “He didn’t just  _ give _ it to you, did he Aaron?” She asked, catching the child’s attention once more. 

“I bought it,” He clarified. 

Sam scoffed, “You bought it? With what? What’s your allowance?” He laughed. 

“Sam!” Alyssa immediately chastised, surprised that Sam would make such a comment. 

Dean shut both of them up in an instant, as he spoke up over them, “What did the angel want for it? What did you give him for it?” He asked. 

“My soul,” Aaron said. 

The three siblings exchanged worried glances, and Alyssa’s eyes landed on Cas last, who wasn’t saying anything. 

“You sold your soul to an angel?” Sam clarified, brow furrowed. 

“Can that even happen?” Alyssa demanded, looking to Cas for clarification. 

Cas looked thoughtful, “It’s never happened before, an angel buying souls. That could explain why the staff’s cut into pieces,” He began, most likely working out what was happening for himself, “More pieces, more product,” He mumbled, almost to himself. 

Dean scoffed, “More product? Who is this guy?” He demanded, starting to look a little bit more upset than he had before. 

Cas took a couple of steps forward, getting himself closer to the commotion and stopping right behind Aaron, “We’ll find him,” He decided, and before any of them could stop him, he had reached forward and touched Aaron on the forehead, sending him into the same sleepy state that he’d forced his father into. 

Her mouth fell open while Dean straightened himself up, frowning at Cas, “What did you do that for?” He demanded, gesturing towards the collapsed boy. 

Next thing she knew, Cas had hefted the boy over his shoulder and after blinking once, she was surprised to find herself back in the motel room that they’d started out in, “Portability,” Cas said, setting the boy down on one of the made motel beds. 

She felt herself hesitating, did Cas realize that he’d just kidnapped a child, “Cas, you can’t just kidnap a kid,” She said after a moment passed between the four of them. 

Cas didn’t look up at her as he spoke, “If the angel we seek truly bought this boy’s soul, when a claim is laid on a living soul, it leaves a mark,” He explained, “A brand.” 

“Like a shirt tag at camp?” Sam asked. 

She almost felt insulted when Cas looked up at him to answer, but still refused to look at her, “I have no idea,” He responded, “But I can read the mark and find the name of the angel that bought the soul,” Cas said, starting to roll up his sleeves as he spoke. 

“How?” Dean demanded, looking just as confused as Alyssa felt. 

Cas’ frowned, “Well, painfully for him, the reading will be excruciating,” He confessed. 

Alyssa immediately moved to disagree, there had to be another way, they couldn’t do this to a child, “He’s a child,” She said at the same time that Dean began protesting as well. 

Finally, Cas shot her a look, his eyes harder than she’d ever seen before, and she was sure Dean got the same look from him, and thankfully Dean spoke up before she had the chance to figure out some sort of reply to his almost disappointed look. 

“He’s a kid, Cas,” Dean continued, his eyes finally darting to see Sam’s blank face, “Sam?” He asked, hoping that he would be on their side. 

Sam looked over to Cas, his face expressionless, “Any permanent damage?” He asked, after an excruciatingly long hesitation. 

Alyssa’s mouth dropped, that was the last thing she expected Sam to say, this was  _ Sam _ , in some situations she might expect Dean to speak this was completely different, she had no clue what to say in response. 

“What?” She heard Dean, breaking her out of her thoughts. 

“Physically, minimal,” Cas told them, nodding in Sam’s direction. 

Dean scoffed, “Oh, yea, by all means, stick your arm right in there,” He was practically shouting now and Alyssa wished she could make herself as upset as he was, but for some reason she felt like she was just stuck in her emotions, being forced to listen to the insanity of the discussion going on around her. 

Cas snapped at Dean, turning his entire body to face him, “Dean,” He snapped, “If I get the name I can work a ritual to track the angel down.”    


“And I’m all for that, but come on, there has to be another way,” Dean continued, turning to Alyssa for support now, since she had been the only one to display any disgust in regards to their new situation. 

“There is no other way,” Cas continued. 

Finally, Alyssa was able to perk up enough to speak, hoping that Cas would finally just look at her amidst all of this, she might be able to get him to stop if he would just  _ listen, _ “You’re not going to torture a kid,” She said, not believing the words that were coming out of her mouth. 

His eyes met hers and she could have sworn she felt anger radiating off him in waves, “I  _ can’t _ care about that, Alyssa,” He snapped again, his voice holding more authority than it ever had when he spoke to her, “I don’t have to luxury, you know that,” He finished, staring her down. 

Her jaw dropped again and she was sure she would’ve argued with him some more if he hadn’t turned towards the kid on the bed and rolled up his sleeves even more before he finally got to work. At the first scream that was ripped out of the child’s mouth, she spun around, not being able to watch this. She found herself facing Sam, who was watching as Castiel worked on the boy with the strange blank expression on his face that she’d found herself becoming familiar with, and before she knew it, she had to force herself to look away from him, not wanting to deal with this any longer. 

It felt like forever before Aaron’s screaming died down and he was silent once more and she finally felt comfortable enough turning back around to glare at Cas who was rolling his sleeve back down, “He’ll rest now,” He said. 

Sam stepped forward immediately, clearly noticing the uncomfortable looks on Dean and Alyssa’s faces, “Did you get a name, what is it?” He asked. 

“I thought he died in the world,” Cas mumbled. 

Even though she was upset with him, she couldn’t help but want to finish this case once and for all so they wouldn’t have to deal with this stupid staff being on earth, “He was your friend?” She asked, her voice coming out a lot harsher than she’d realized, even though she didn’t regret it. 

Cas nodded, “A good friend,” He sighed, clearly trying to mask his upset. 

Dean also bit back a scoff, “Well your frat buddy is now moonlighting as a crossroads demon,” He mocked. 

“Balthazar, I wonder…” Cas mumbled. 

Before any of them knew what was going on, a man had popped up in the corner of their room, grinning at Cas, “Balthazar,” He repeated, “Thank for the name Castiel, we’ll put it to good use,” Before the angel could pop out of there, Cas had pulled out his angel blade and charged the other angel in the room. 

She didn’t know how it had happened, but she was pushed backwards and out of the way by an invisible force when the two angels started fighting, and it didn’t take her long to figure out that Cas had most likely pushed her away before the big fight had broken out. But she wanted to help, everything happened much too quickly for her to comprehend though because before any of the siblings knew what was going on, the two angels’ knives collided once more, and then they were flung out the window, falling to the ground below. 

The three siblings ran over towards the window, to see Cas look around the area for the other angel who had disappeared before looking up at them, “My car,” Sam complained, his brow furrowed. 

Dean shrugged, nudging Alyssa in the side with his elbow from where she stood in between them, “Silver lining,” He muttered. 

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, she was surprised to see Cas disappear from the ground below them before he was speaking again, sounding much closer to them than he had just been, “He’s gone,” He told them, looking slightly more relaxed now that he didn’t have to fight any more. 

When they were fighting she couldn’t help but feel worried for him, she was thankful that he was okay, but in the past year she despite hearing about his war, she’d never really seen him fight another angel, and it was something she’d like to avoid if she could in the future, “Who was that?” She demanded, not wasting any time in trying to figure out what was going on. 

“A soldier of Raphael,” He informed them, “He must’ve followed me when I answered your call,” He said, nodding to Dean. 

Sam started pacing, looking confused, “Raphael? The archangel? I’m sorry, what’s going on?” He asked. 

Alyssa wanted to explain this all to him, she was lucky she had somewhat of an in on the situation Cas was in, but she also knew he wouldn’t appreciate it very much if she exposed the whole story to her brothers so she stayed silent for the meantime. 

Cas was busy getting a bowl out of one of the nearby cupboards before he turned to answer Sam’s question, “I can explain later, right now we have to-” He was messing around with his bowl, eyes searching for something before Dean cut him off. 

Dean stepped forward, his face stern, “No, not later, now, stop alright,” He demanded, “Too many angels, Cas!” She could tell Dean was pissed, frankly she hadn’t seen him be anything other than pissed in a long time, other than when he’d been talking to Aaron a little while ago, but with her, and Sam, and now Cas, he was just  _ angry.  _

Not that there wasn’t a lot to be angry about, there was plenty for him to be angry about, but she found it just exhausting to be so angry all the time, not that she’d tell him that, she just hoped things would get back to normal sooner rather than later. 

Cas sighed before answering, “It’s simple, Raphael and his followers, they want him to rule Heaven,” He explained, “I, and many others, the last thing we want is to let him take over, it would be catastrophic!” His briefing came, she was thankfully he didn’t disclose all of the information to her brothers that he’d told her over the past year because it would’ve taken a lot longer. 

“You’re talking civil war?” Sam asked. 

The angel nodded, looking almost sad, “Technically, yes. Which is why we have to find Balthazar and the weapons before Raphael does. Whoever has the weapons wins the war,” He finished, looking between the siblings once more, looking like he wanted to get a move on with whatever he was doing with his bowl earlier as he pulled Sam’s weapons bag out from underneath one of the beds. 

Sam let out a mumble at the action, but Alyssa was more focused on what Cas was doing at the moment, and Dean was also focused on something else, “What happens if Raphael wins?” He asked, frowning. 

Cas had pulled a flask of holy water out of Sam’s duffle, “What he always wanted, to end the story the way it was written,” He explained with a sigh. 

Dean froze, “You mean the Apocalypse? The one we derailed?” He demanded. 

Cas nodded, looking towards Alyssa again as if asking her for some backup, which she wasn’t planning on giving him at the moment, she was still rather upset about what he’d done to Aaron earlier without any remorse, “Yes, Raphael wants to put it back on the rails,” He said, still digging through Sam’s bag before muttering something about needing myrrh. 

“Myrrh?” Sam repeated, looking confused. 

Before anyone could ask Cas any more questions, he had disappeared, “Freaking Angels,” Dean cursed. 

Alyssa walked over to the table where Cas had been working earlier to see what he was trying to do, but it didn’t take long before he had appeared right by her side, almost startling her if it weren’t for the flapping of wings she heard a second before he appeared, and then he started drawing on the table with a piece of chalk, not speaking. 

“Why does Raphael want to bring all this crap back?” Dean said, also watching as Cas began to draw on the table. 

He shrugged, “He’s a traditionalist,” Cas explained. 

Dean looked almost affronted, “Why didn’t you tell us this?” He asked, walking closer to where Cas was working. 

Cas paused from his work to look up at Dean, “I was ashamed, I expected more from my brothers, I’m sorry,” He didn’t even pause before he produced his blade and grabbed Dean’s arm, “Now I need your blood.” 

Her older brother let out a hiss when Cas took some of his blood for whatever strange spell he was performing, “Woah, why don’t you use your own?” Dean cursed, working on covering his wound before Cas quickly healed him. 

“It wouldn’t work, I’m not human,” He explained, simply. 

She rolled her eyes, she wasn’t sure why Dean was still trying to get information out of him when he was so clearly focused on something else, he wasn’t going to speak as bluntly as she knew he could. Just then, she could hear sirens all around them, and she would’ve been lying if she said that the sirens didn’t make her just the slightest bit nervous, especially because they had an unconscious child in their room still. 

“Got him,” Cas said, finally looking up from his work, “Let’s go,” His arm was instantly attached to Alyssa, pulling her to his side, and in response, she instantly pushed him away. 

“What about Aaron?” She demanded, somehow miraculously managing to get him to get off of her without putting up much of a fight. 

Cas blinked, “Don’t you think the police will take him home?” 

She noticed Dean’s disappointed look as well as Cas’ declaration, but before either of them could say something, she was being pulled back into the angels side, and with one last desperate look over her shoulder at the boy, the four of them were being zapped off once more, leaving Aaron behind. 

They reappeared in front of a large mansion, the sound of crickets chirping was the first thing that met her ears, and she was honestly surprised to see that so much time had passed and they were now faced with the darkness surrounding them. Once again she pushed away from the angel as soon as she first opportunity had presented itself, she was honestly pretty disappointed with him from what he had done today, she never expected Cas to act so coldly around them- around her, more specifically, and the first chance she got she planned on telling him that. 

That discussion was going to have to wait until later though, right now they had to make a plan on how they were going to help Cas find this Balthazar character, and hopefully find the weapons for him so his war could finally be over. Thankfully, Cas was quick to decide he could handle Balthazar by himself and the siblings decided to watch the grounds, make sure no other angels tried to show up while Cas was doing whatever he had to do in there. 

Sam was quick to go off and search around the grounds, telling Dean and Alyssa to stay together, which she found somewhat odd, but neither of them argued it, it was almost a relief to get away from Sam for a little while. It was a horrible thought to have, and as soon as it entered her brain she felt horribly guilty, but it didn’t make the thought go away, and judging by the look on Dean’s face, she was sure he felt the same way she did. 

“You doin’ alright?” Dean asked, after a moment passed between them. 

She nodded, almost too quickly, “I think so, I just… I don’t know what happened- back with Aaron,” She said, hesitantly, after deciding that because Dean reacted in a similar way back in the motel room. 

Dean sighed, “Yeah, I don’t like it either,” He began, “Have you noticed- Do you think that Sammy’s been acting differently?” He asked, sounding very hesitant. 

She  _ had _ thought that Sam had been acting differently, but she hadn’t voiced her thoughts to anyone, fearing that if she said it out loud that it would be too true, but here Dean was, voicing her thoughts for her, “Yeah, actually I think he has-” Before she could finish, the two of them turned around to see Sam stumbling back towards the two of them, still looking around the grounds. 

“Find anything?” Dean called out, catching Sam’s attention. 

The tallest sibling shook his head, “I don’t think so, but I’m sure Raphael’s angels aren’t far behind,” He said, fiddling with the angel blade Cas had given him before he’d gone inside the mansion. 

After Sam had returned, an almost awkward silence settled around the three of them. She had been expecting Sam to confront her about Castiel at some point, but that had never come, much to her surprise, he just seemed to be very focused on his lookout job at the moment. Dean had got to work pretty quickly, setting up some sigils around the side of the house, just in case any of Raphael’s angels 

She wasn’t sure how long the three of them stood around for, just waiting for something to happen to break up the silence between them, and she wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that her wish for something to happen came true. From somewhere to their left, there was a sudden noise, thankfully one all three of them heard, and Sam motioned for the two of them to stay back as he pulled out an angel blade. While Sam approached the angel that had appeared at the mansion, Dean and Alyssa ducked out of sight, getting Dean that much closer to one of his sigils so if it became too much for Sam he could just force them out of there. 

Alyssa watched with wide eyes as Sam was grabbed from behind by another angel, a new angel blade thrust up against his throat, “You think you can knife-fight an angel?” He sneered, digging the blade into Sam’s neck. 

Luckily, Dean didn’t wait much longer than that to make their presence known, “Who’s fighting, peace out, douchebags,” Dean yelled, slamming his hand against his sigil, sending the two angels to who knows where. 

“Come on,” Alyssa decided after the three of them had caught their breath before she marched in the mansion, just hoping that Cas had enough sense to set up a couple of circles of holy fire and would be able to lure Balthazar into the circle like they’d discussed. 

The three siblings were quick to sneak into the mansion, and it didn’t take Alyssa that long to find Cas speaking to a shorter man wearing a dark black suit jacket with matching dark black pants, blond hair was the only splash of color she could see on the man, she only assumed this was Balthazar. Cas was standing across from him looking the same as ever, she was pretty happy to see that he hadn’t scratched himself up, and also she gave him credit for not drawing any attention to their arrival, she knew that was a hard thing to do from experience. 

“Until next time,” The blond haired angel said in response to whatever him and Cas had been talking about. 

Finally, Cas gave her a not so subtle glance, “Next time,” He said, turning back to the Balthazar, and Alyssa immediately caught onto the hint from their angel. 

She found herself speaking before she even knew what she was doing, a match already ablaze in her hand, “No time like the present,” She said, officially announcing their presence as she dropped the match straight onto the floor by Balthazar’s feet, creating a ring of fire around him. 

The angel turned to face them, a furious look on his face, “Release me,” He demanded immediately, looking between the siblings and Cas. 

“Only when you take your marker off Aaron Birch’s soul,” She demanded, not bothering to wait for anyone else to speak up. 

He scoffed, clearly not taking her seriously at all, “Am I?” He shot back, raising an eyebrow in her direction. 

“Sam?” She asked, turning to face her brother, watching as he approached with their jar of holy oil. 

Her brother uncorked the bottle of oil, “Unless you’d like your wings extra crispy, I’d think about that,” Sam shrugged, looking passive about his threat. 

Balthazar turned angrily towards Cas, staring him down now, “Castiel, I stood for you in heaven, are you going to-” He began, but thankfully Cas wasn’t going to agree with his pleas. 

“I believe they have the floor,” He said, staring blankly at Balthazar. 

She couldn’t help but feel happy that Cas had passed this over to them for once, but she couldn’t shake the fact she was still upset at him for how he’d dealt with Aaron earlier, but that was something to deal with later, if he even had time to stick around afterwards. 

Balthazar let out a laugh after that, setting a finger to his forehead before looking back over to the siblings, “Very well, the boy’s debt is cleared, his soul is his own,” He told them, sending an almost mocking smirk their way. 

Dean took a few steps closer to the holy fire, his eyes narrowed, “Why you buying up human souls anyways?” He demanded. 

“In this economy?” He scoffed, “It’s probably the only thing worth buying. Do you have any idea what souls are worth? What power they hold? Now release me!” He countered, looking like he was done dealing with the Winchesters. 

“Suck it ass-clown, nobody said anything about you-” Before Dean could even finish whatever creative insult he’d come up with this time, Cas was moving his hand, lowering the flames around Balthazar until they’d disappeared, “Cas, what the hell?” He finished, turning to face the trench coated angel. 

Cas didn’t bother turning to Dean, “My debt to you is paid,” He nodded, watching as Balthazar disappeared right in front of their very eyes. 

“Cas are you out of your mind?” Dean turned to stare down the angel. 

Before anyone could say anything else, Cas had disappeared, leaving the three of them on their own once more, and Alyssa blocked out Dean’s cursing at his disappearance, not wanting to have to deal with her brothers at the moment. When the three of them angrily stomped out of the mansion, they were at least happy to see that Cas had brought the Impala with them, so the three of them would be able to get out of there. 

She climbed into the back of the impala, relaxing against the door and not wanting to deal with anything at the moment. Frankly, she had too much on her mind at the moment now, with Cas acting so differently. She knew he had a war on his hands, but he’d never been so outright rude and blunt with her around and she didn’t know why things were so different when they were around her brothers. 

Before she knew it, her eyes were slipping shut in the silence of the car, and she was putting her thoughts about Cas aside, deciding she could deal with her issues with him later, and she could only hope that the next time she saw the angel, it would go a little bit better than this. 


	14. Chapter 14

Since getting Sam back, Alyssa could hardly remember a time when her two brothers weren’t arguing with each other, it was constant! With everything that was going on with Sam’s soul and Crowley’s bargain, and Cas never being able to show up, things were pretty much a shit show at the moment. 

Cas  _ did _ show up every once in a while, but it was never for long, unless the situation benefited himself, and most of the time he’d just trail after her like he was her shadow until he decided to pop off to heaven again. She couldn’t help but find it aggravating when he trailed after her, since he constantly was trying to tell her that the two of them should mate for her safety, at this point she was just getting tired of telling him to piss off. But the time between his visits, she almost found herself missing his company, he was the only one that was still acting normal between her soulless brother and Dean’s constant mood swings, at least she knew what to expect from the angel at this point. 

Or she knew what to expect from him for the most point, since Sam’s returned, Cas has also seemed to be a little bit more hands on with her, he always liked to be touching her in some way, and if he wasn’t, he was standing close enough to her side that it felt like he was touching her, but there wasn’t much beyond that, he just liked to keep her close, and most of the time, she didn’t mind it. 

It was nice having some contact with someone, Sam was normally that person, but without his soul he didn’t really seem to care too much for contact, and Dean had never been a very touchy person, not that she didn’t try to make him one, but with Cas being there for her every once in a while, she almost found herself melting into his touch. 

Strangely enough, she found it very curious when she woke up tied to a chair in their hideout after dropping off another monster to Crowley’s demons, and all she could think about was how much she wished Cas was there to help them. Of course, she knew he’d come if she called, but hopefully they’d be able to get themselves out of this one without his help. 

Alyssa was quick to notice that her brothers were both tied up too, one on either side of her. Sam was already awake, and staring at something behind her, and Dean just seemed to be coming to when she decided to speak up, “What now?” She almost laughed, the three of them really couldn’t catch a break!

“I think I know who you can ask,” Sam replied, his eyes still locked on something over her shoulder.

Dean groaned as he turned his head, and Alyssa looked over her shoulder to see Meg standing there, circling Dean as she did so, “Evil bitch,” He cursed, keeping his gaze locked on her. 

“Keep sweet talking me and this can go a whole new direction,” She grinned, putting her hand down on Dean’s shoulder. 

“Meg, I’ve been dying to see you,” Dean bit out, still watching her every move as she stood in front of him. 

Alyssa quickly counted the other demons in the room, making sure that none of them were standing too close to either her or her brothers, but her attention was quickly pulled back to Meg when she got herself even closer to Dean, “Well, here I am, big boy, so what should we do now?” She asked. 

“How about I rip you to shreds?” He grit out. 

Meg grinned, clearly pleased with herself, “Kinky, I like. A little Q&A first, if you don’t mind. Now, where’s your boss?” She demanded. 

“You think we work for somebody?” Sam called out, not necessarily managing to get Meg’s attention off of Dean, even as she addressed Sam in response. 

“I happen to know for a fact you’ve been juggling Crowley’s orphans, now where is he?” She continued. 

Sam only shrugged in response, “Don’t know, don’t care,” The one good thing about him being soulless was that he always had a perfect poker face, it really was in their best interest to leave the talking to him sometimes. 

“You’ve been working his beat for months,” She countered, sounding none too pleased with the answers she’s been getting. 

“Doesn’t mean we get to face him,” Alyssa bit back, tired of being ignored in this little conversation. 

Meg rolled her eyes and perched herself on Dean’s lap, successfully straddling him, “Where’d he take all those things you snatch up for him? I bet you an all-day sucker that’s where his majesty’s holed up,” Dean kept his lips firmly pressed together, and that was all it took for Meg to pull out a knife and hold it against his throat, “Okay, officially over the foreplay. Satisfy me, or I please myself!” 

Before anyone could say anything about Crowley, Sam started to laugh, loudly enough to confuse everyone in the room, “Something funny?” Alyssa shot at him, furrowing her brow. 

“Yeah, Meg,” He said, in explanation. 

“Really? Cause where I’m sitting-” Dean was cut off by Sam again. 

Sam grinned, “Don’t worry, she can’t do jack squat! She’s totally screwed,” He explained, “Look at her, she’s furious! If she could kill you, she would’ve done it by now. She’s running,” He sounded very pleased with his deduction. 

“Am I?” Meg countered, lifting her head up to look at Sam. 

“Judging by the level of flop sweat on all of you, yeah. Which means you’re running from Crowley. Which makes sense. Crowley would want to hunt down all the Lucifer loyalists now that he’s the big man on campus,” He was still grinning, which was a strange sight to see from him as of recent. 

“How would you know?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at Sam. 

Sam’s smile dropped quickly, “It’s what I’d do. She can’t kill us. She needs us to get her to Crowley so she can stick that knife in his neck. It’s him or her,” He continued to explain, “So you know what you gotta do now?” He asked. 

“Let me guess,” Meg mused, “You’re going to tell me.”    


“Work with us,” Sam offered. 

“What?” Alyssa and Dean immediately protested. 

Sam shrugged, “We’ll hand you Crowley with a bow. On one condition; we come with you and you help us wring a little something out of him before you hack him to bits,” He bargained.

Alyssa did have to admit, it made sense to work together, she needed them, and this was Dean’s chance to get back at Crowley like he’d wanted to do ever since they’d started working together, but working with a demon willingly was still something she’d like to avoid if she could. 

Maybe if Cas could keep tabs on them she’d be more willing to go along with Sam’s plan, she’d have to talk to the angel soon. 

She quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts of Cas when she realized that Meg was agreeing to Sam’s plan, and part of her realized that she would’ve been very embarrassed if Cas had shown up, mistaking her thought for prayers for him.

“It’s a deal then, hugs and puppies all around,” She bit out sarcastically, finally moving away from Dean, who looked much more comfortable now that she wasn’t sitting on him. 

The demons fled from the room at Meg’s call, leaving the three of them to untie themselves from the ropes they were left in, Sam getting himself out first before moving on to help Alyssa and Dean. She couldn’t help but to be anxious, knowing Meg, there was no way they could trust her, hopefully, Sam had a few ideas up his sleeve. 

“What are you doing?” Dean demanded once they were all untied. 

“What do you mean?” Sam countered.

“I mean what are you doing?” He repeated, to which Alyssa responded with a tired warning of his name.

Sam scoffed, “Dean, you wanted to screw over Crowley. Merry Christmas!” He replied, clearly seeing no fault in his plan, “What?”    


“You wanna work with a demon again?” Dean pressed. 

“We’re working with demons now, I’m doing this because I wanna stop,” Sam argued back. 

The two of them were clearly getting heated again, but Alyssa wasn’t quite sure what to do to make them stop, she wanted to know why they were helping demons just as badly at Dean did, so she let him continue for now. 

“She killed Ellen and Jo!” He was quick to bring up, not that it would matter to Sam at the moment. 

Sam shook his head, “I know, but you can’t look at this emotionally now, Dean. We need her,” He promised. 

Alyssa could see the point he was trying to make, sure she hated Meg as much as any other demon, but she was their only chance at getting Sam’s soul back a little bit faster than they would’ve if they kept it up with Crowley. 

“The hell we do! That little bitch is gonna screw us over so fast-” He hissed, only to be cut off by Sam. 

“Of course, which is why we’ll screw her first,” He explained, “Meg and her little posse are dead the second we’re done with them!” 

Alyssa scoffed at this, they were a group of demons, it was going to be tricky to get the jump on them, “Yeah if they don’t kill us first,” She said, with a roll of her eyes. 

“They won’t! Cause we’re bringing insurance,” He said, sounding proud of himself, “Cas owes me, I’ll get him to show up,” Sam decided. 

Dean rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, “You managed to get his feathery ass down here and I’ll get you a chicken dinner,” He laughed, “Better just have Alyssa call him down, he’ll come running in a second!” 

She clearly wasn’t the only one who noticed how attached he’d become to her, and with Dean’s admonition, she couldn’t help but feel her face turn bright red, “Yeah, it’s no problem, we would need his help,” She shrugged, willing her blush to go down. 

Sam clearly didn’t like this idea, “He’ll come, just wait,” He promised the two of them, marching towards the front door as he muttered over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back,” He promised before leaving the two of them alone. 

Dean was quick to salvage his drink from before, which was warmer now, but was still something he could drink as he plopped himself down on the couch. Alyssa dragged the chairs back into the kitchen again, not that it mattered, they’d probably be ditching this place soon, but it made her feel slightly better as she rejoined Dean in the living room, perching herself on the edge of the couch, grabbing his drink from his hand and taking a swig of it before passing it back to him, “A little warm,” She chided with a small grin, one he didn’t copy, “Come on, if Sam can’t get Cas to come down here you know I can,” She didn’t really like to talk about Cas around her brothers for the most part, the two of them were still pretty upset that she didn’t tell them he was popping up for her, but she still held strongly onto her decision. 

Dean rolled his eyes as he took another sip from his bottle, “Yeah, it’s just the whole idea of working with Meg,” He shuttered. 

She nodded in agreement, “It’s not ideal, but at least we’ve got an angel on our side,” She assured him. 

“Do we?” Dean asked, furrowing his brow at her, “I think  _ you _ do, what is his problem anyways? The dude never gives you any space, you two are attached at the hip,” He scoffed. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but feel a herself immediately want to defend Cas, but she bit her lip to stop herself from immediately going to Cas’ aid. Honestly, she might’ve bit back an immediate response if it weren’t for her necklace start to heat up against her chest, and she nearly smiled, happy that Cas had showed up to talk to Sam, “I don’t know, maybe you should ask him yourself,” She shrugged, timing it perfectly as Sam swung the door open just when she finished talking, Cas following obediently behind him. 

Dean’s attention was immediately taken from her, “You actually showed, wow, Sam I owe you a chicken dinner,” He snarked, watching as Cas stalked out from behind Sam and marched himself over to Alyssa’s side, “What happened?” Dean asked as he shot Alyssa a knowing look. 

Cas didn’t have a chance to answer though as Sam spoke up for him, “No big, this is what friends do for each other,” Alyssa didn’t miss how Sam didn’t quite sound like himself as he said this, or how Cas tensed slightly next to her. 

The angel cleared his throat, shuffling so he was standing that much closer to her side, the heat from his body practically radiating off of him, “Yes,” He was quick to agree, “I wouldn’t want to let down my friends,” He continued, the grimace never leaving his face as he spoke. 

“So you’re going to help us find Crowley?” Alyssa asked, looking up at the angel and not liking the strange look on his face, and thinking of ways she could try to comfort him without her brothers thinking it was strange. 

Cas nodded, turning to Dean, “If you would get me the supplies for a summoning ritual,” He demanded, wasting no time before he shot Alyssa a dark look and walked back out of the small shack, clearly silently asking her to follow him. 

“Um, I’ll make sure he comes back,” She decided, shooting Dean a quick look before following after Cas. 

He was standing right outside the door, she nearly crashed into his back before she was able to close the door so her brothers couldn’t hear them, “What was that about?” She demanded, furrowing her brow as she stared down the angel in front of her. 

Cas still didn’t look very happy even though the two of them were alone now, and before he even thought about answering her, he had reached out towards her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. She let out a small ‘oof’ upon impact, but didn’t move to push herself away from him, knowing he probably needed a little comfort at the moment. 

His lips found the top of her head, something she’d never really felt him do before, and he spoke into her hair, “I don’t want you near Sam,” He muttered. 

She jerked backwards, not expecting this reaction from him, but his tight grip on her stopped her from completely pulling away from him, “What are you talking about?” She asked, craning her neck to look up at him due to their close proximity. 

Cas was still scowling, he clearly wanted to keep holding onto her as he shifted his arms around her but she made no move to embrace him back again, “I know Sam hasn’t been himself but I do not trust him around you,” He growled, his grip tightening slightly. 

Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him, and pushed herself backwards, still not being able to get away from him, “I know he’s not himself, but he’s still my brother,” She told him, frowning, this was not how their conversation was supposed to go, but here they were. 

“Just-” He sighed, “Just be careful,” He decided, clearly thinking carefully about how he wanted to tell her to act around her brother. 

She sighed, wanting to be angry at him, but he sounded so genuine at the moment, she really couldn’t argue with him any longer, “I’m always careful,” She decided, offering him a small smile, but making sure to store his command in the back of her mind, her curiosity too great for her to just forget that. 

Cas was quick to gather her to him again, “Good,” He decided, urging her to hug him back, which she decided to do after only a brief hesitation.

“I’m sure Dean’s got everything you need,” She told him after a moment, “The sooner we find Crowley the sooner you can leave,” She said, not liking the way that her stomach dropped when she thought of him having to leave again, that was certainly something she wasn’t expecting. 

He nodded against her head, waiting another moment before releasing her, “Before we go find Crowley, are you sure you don’t want to complete-” She knew what he was going to ask before he even started talking. 

“Not soulmates,” She sung back in response, taking a step away from him in preparation to walk into the house with her brothers again, if it weren’t for Cas starting up their argument again. 

It didn’t take her long to realize that his eyes were narrowed at her, he almost seemed annoyed with her, “We  _ are _ ,” He bit back, lifting his chin slightly. 

She frowned back at him in response, “You can think whatever you want Cas, I’m not going to decide to ‘complete’ this bond or whatever, so until then, not soulmates,” Alyssa decided, turning around to go back inside and end whatever strange conversation they were having. 

It had been a while since he had argued with her about this, so she wasn’t expecting him to bring it up now, normally he just didn’t respond when she argued it, but he wasn’t backing down this time, “I can prove it,” He muttered, stopping her in her place. 

She spun around to face him again, noticing that he matched her steps towards the door so he was still just as close to her as he was before, “How?” She demanded. 

“Let me complete it,” He urged, reaching out as if to gather her to his chest again, but she was quick to step out of the way. 

Shaking her head at him she let out a sigh, she had no clue how he could keep going on like this, especially because she turned him down every time, “I already said no,” She pressed, hoping he’d get the hint as she rolled her eyes at him. His grumpy demeanor came back almost immediately, as he trudged to come stand next to her again, ready to follow her into the house, “Thank you,” She muttered as she opened the door, leading the two of them back inside. 

Even though she set out to make sure that Cas was feeling better about helping them out for a little while, she was sure that he was in an even worse mood after their brief conversation, but that was on  _ him, _ if he wasn’t so pushy about the soulmates thing then this wouldn’t be a problem. When Dean showed him where Sam and him had laid out the ingredients he would need, he pushed past Alyssa, not even bothering to look at her as he did so and started mixing them together in a large bowl. A part of her hoped that this would be done sooner rather than later so he could just leave and go back to his civil war, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel upset that he wouldn’t meet her eyes or acknowledge her at the moment, it wasn’t just annoying either, she was pretty sure that she was genuinely upset over it. 

“What’s up with him?” Dean decided to ask once Alyssa wandered into the kitchen to get a breather, Cas still working at his ritual and not bothering to look at her. 

Dean was in the process of getting himself a beer out of their small cooler they set aside in the room, and she sighed, shifting around to face him better from where she was sitting on one of the chairs they’d been tied up on not too long ago, “He’s just upset he can’t fight right now,” She lied, unconvincingly. 

Clearly, he didn’t believe her, letting out a snort as soon as she was done talking, “Really?” He demanded, “Then what’s your problem?” 

Alyssa really didn’t want to have this conversation with Dean, she’d never told anyone that Cas thought the two of them were soulmates, the most that her brothers knew was that the angel was practically glued to her side, always choosing to be by her, and it must’ve been strange to see Cas working tirelessly at a ritual and practically ignoring her, “Its nothing,” She sighed, hoping that Dean would rather stick by Cas until he was able to summon Crowley, she really should’ve known better though. 

The chair next to her was pulled out so Dean could sit down, setting his bottle down on the table, “Come on, ‘Lys,” He urged, “Something’s up, you’re supposed to be the normal one, but there’s something going on between the two of you,” Dean finished, leaning back in his seat to scrutinize her, “So what’s up?” 

She frowned at him, it wasn’t fair that he could see right through her, she was the only one that was allowed to do that, but here he was, and… maybe it would be good for her to talk to someone other than Cas about this, maybe it would help her figure everything out, “Fine,” She sighed, looking behind her just to make sure that the door was shut and Cas and Sam couldn’t hear them at the moment, “I guess this has been going on for a while, I thought I could figure out,” She refused to look at Dean while she spoke, it was just a little too embarrassing for her to talk about to her older brother, but here they were, “Anyways, Cas, well, you know how he says that the two of you have a bond?” She asked, deciding this would be the best place to start. 

Dean nodded, “Yeah, I also remember him telling us his bond with you was stronger,” Clearly he was catching onto something, but there was no way he could guess what Cas actually was implying.

She nodded, “Right, okay, well he’s been saying that we’re soulmates,” She shrugged, hoping Dean wouldn’t think it was a big deal. 

He furrowed his brow, clearly just as confused as she was when Cas first confessed this to her, “Soumates?” He scoffed, “That sounds like a load of BS.”    
  
She couldn’t help but agree with him, but she didn’t quite realize that she hesitated before doing so, “...Yeah, but Cas doesn’t think so, that’s pretty much all he talks about when we’re alone,” She didn’t know how long her and Dean sat there talking, but once she started she couldn’t seem to stop, it was just like she was waiting for someone to spill all of this to, and she finally had the opportunity. She told him everything, from the very first time Cas told her they were soulmates when she was dead, right up to the last conversation she’d had with the angel, and even though it felt really nice to talk to him about everything that was going on, it really didn’t help her clear anything up with Cas. 

To Dean’s credit, he was actually a really good listener, and he seemed to say the right things, “Well if you don’t believe that you’re soulmates then why don’t you just let the poor guy do what he wants to do?” He asked after a few moments of him thinking it over, “Yeah, like then you’ll know for sure if it’s real,” Dean decided, taking another sip of his beer. 

She furrowed her brow, “I guess I could, but then what if he comes onto me even more than before?” Alyssa worried. 

Dean shrugged in response, “I dunno, to be fair, I always thought you liked him well enough, maybe you should just give it a shot,” He said, and even though she appreciated being able to talk to him about this, she thought he was being much too casual about the two thing. 

“I do!” She confessed almost too quickly, clearing her throat before she realized what was going on, “I mean, I like Cas as a friend, he’s like family, it’s weird,” She trailed off, not really knowing where she was going with this. 

Her brother started laughing then, “Family? Never treated any of my family like you did when famine was here, or when Cas was so drunk he could barely function, you’re never that nice to Sam or I,” He continued to laugh. 

Alyssa felt her cheeks burn as soon as he reminded her of all the times she was just a bit too friendly with Cas, memories that she’d rather not focus on when she was with the angel, “Alright, alright, but it’s the principle of it all, you should know what I’m talking about!” She accused, “Besides, he’s an angel!” 

It’s not like she didn’t like Cas, that was very far from the truth, she just didn’t like him like  _ that, _ she didn’t like anyone like that, she couldn’t afford to, being a hunter didn’t leave much room for healthy relationships. It always felt to Alyssa like she’d have to protect someone if she was in a relationship with them, and not in a normal relationship way, she wasn’t about to drag someone into her crazy life for her own sake, it just wasn’t fair, and she quickly expressed this to Dean. 

“But he knows what he’s getting into, I’d say his life’s even more messed up than yours,” He snickered, and she couldn’t help but agree, but there was still something wrong with the whole thing. 

“He’s still an angel,” She chimed in, her first argument clearly not proving her point, “And last I checked, I’m still human, that can’t work out in the end.” 

Dean nodded in agreement, “Hmm,” He agreed, “Maybe there’s some angelic mojo up there that solves that problem,” He suggested with another shrug, “I don’t think Cas would suggest that you were soulmates if there wasn’t a way for the two of you to be together.”    


Alyssa couldn’t help but hate how right Dean sounded, and it really did make sense, she just never wanted to put too much thought into what was going on between the two of them, and even if everything Dean said was true, she still didn’t see Cas like that… right? 

There was a lot that went on between the two of them in the last year, he was right about the famine moment too, she was pretty sure anyone who she felt any familial feelings toward she wouldn’t treat like that, and there were more than a few times she had fallen asleep on him, but she’d fallen asleep on Sam and Dean before too! Her mind quickly piped in, reminding her that her and her brothers never shared a bed like her and Cas did, her cheeks heating up again at the memory of the two of them cuddled up against one another, which didn’t help her situation at all! She couldn’t help herself when she was reminded of the time that Cas looked like he was going to kiss Meg and she couldn’t help but pipe up, feeling instantly better when Meg was literally thrown to the side afterwards, but she couldn’t help but think, maybe she had been jealous? 

“Fine,” She admitted after a moment, deciding that she needed to think some things over by herself for a little while before she and Cas could have another go at it, “Let’s go see how it’s going, he should be done by now,” She decided, standing up and making sure Dean was following her before leading him back into the living room. 

Cas was looking over his ritual, a blank expression still written on his features, “How’s it going?” Alyssa asked before she could stop herself. 

He looked up at the two of them, his eyes sweeping over Alyssa before landing on Dean, and she couldn’t help but feel upset at him blatantly ignoring her, “It’s not working, Crowley’s hidden from me,” He confessed. 

Dean sighed, “Well, it looks like we’re going to have to try this the hard way,” He said. 

Alyssa wrinkled her nose, she really didn’t want to have to be put in a life or death situation for the second time in less than twenty four hours but it looked like they were going to have to, at least Cas would be with them this time around, there was something about having an angel on your side that made Alyssa feel that much safer, not that she’d tell him that, he’d never let her go on a hunt without him. 

Before they planned on tracking down Crowley, Dean decided that they should search through Samuel’s house, to see if there were any clues that could lead them to Crowley’s whereabouts without them getting surrounded by demons before they even got near the place, so soon enough the four of them found themselves setting off towards the Campbell compound. 

Alyssa sat on the couch, waiting for her two brothers to get ready. She was thankful that Dean had dragged Cas out of the room for a little while, she really wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him once the two of them were inevitably alone again, or if he would say anything to her at all. She could hear Dean and Cas’ muffled voices in the kitchen, but she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

She was so focused on trying to make out what the two of them were talking about, she was almost startled when Sam started pacing off to the side in the room, she didn’t even realize that he’d come back, clearly waiting for Dean to be ready now, “How’s it going?” He asked, awkwardly. 

Alyssa brightened up a little bit at his question, ever since he lost his soul he had a strange way of talking, anytime he tried to ask her how she was it just sounded wrong, and it would’ve been a sad thought if it weren’t so funny he acted. She was about to answer, to tease him slightly for it, which wouldn’t have bothered him in the slightest, but it would’ve made her feel better about his unique situation anyways, but before she could, the kitchen door was being thrown open and Cas stalked in, his eyes locked on Sam. 

Her head shot around to see Cas staring down her brother, and she immediately forgot about Sam’s question, not liking the way Cas was staring at him, and it reminded her of how much she really wanted to know why Cas told her to stay away from him. She jumped up to her feet before she knew what she was doing, startling both Sam and Cas, but thankfully getting the angel’s attention away from Sam for the time being. 

“Uh, Cas and I are going to wait outside, meet you out there when Dean’s ready,” She decided, latching onto Cas’ hand and dragging him back out the front door, only momentarily hesitating to make sure Sam agreed with her before pulling Cas outside. He didn’t seem to mind being dragged around by her too much, he followed her outside without much of a fuss, letting his arm fall back to his side once she’d let him go, “Sorry about that,” She muttered, “It just looked like you were getting ready to tear his head off,” She tried to joke, realizing that wasn’t going to be the best way to get through to him. 

She should’ve known that so soon after his warning to her he wasn’t going to let Sam be near her without him being there if he had anything to do about it, and looking back, Sam didn’t look too upset to have Cas stare him down, even if he was soulless, she expected him to at least look skeptical or something. 

“I would not tear his head off in front of you,” He said, wrinkling his nose as if the idea didn’t sit right with him. 

Alyssa couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her lips, it was always funny when he took things literally, “No, uh, I didn’t mean that for real, you just looked pissed,” She decided, “You never told me what he did,” She pried. 

Cas was frowning at her, “I would prefer to keep it that way,” He said after a moment. 

His frown was quickly reciprocated by her, “If it’s got something to do with me then I’d like to know what he did,” She shot back, normally Cas was quick to tell her things. 

He angled his head, straightening himself out so he was staring down at her, she realized a while ago he liked to do this when he wanted something to go his way, “I’ve got it under control,” Cas said. 

“Clearly not,” She replied, too quickly, “You’re not going to be around every time Sam and I are alone.”   


“That’s why I want you to stay away from him,” He replied, his voice coming out a bit gruffer than usual. 

Alyssa opened her mouth to respond, but before she could Sam and Dean were leaving the house, Dean hauling a few things into the impala before tuning to Cas, “Alright, man, do your thing,” He ordered. 

Sam had stopped by Alyssa and Cas, standing a bit too close to Alyssa for Cas’ liking, and before she knew what was happening, she felt her hair stand on end as Cas reached towards her, his arm curling around her as he pulled her into his side, getting her away from Sam. 

She let out a sharp breath at the sudden action, not having time to chastise him as they found themselves standing in Samuel’s compound a split second later. She was, once again, happy to have Cas support her, no matter how many times he zapped her somewhere she was sure she was never going to get used to it, but she couldn’t help but notice how Sam was now standing on Dean’s other side, as far away from her as he could possibly be in the small underground compound. 

Cas’ fingers dug into her side as he stood as still as a board behind her, and she swatted at his hand, but he didn’t seem like he was quite ready to let her go, forcing her to watch as Sam and Dean started to scour the small area, looking for anything that might help them find Crowley. 

“Let go,” She hissed over her shoulder, not wanting to make too much noise, if she did she was sure Samuel or another Campbell would come rushing to find them down there. 

She felt his chest rumble against her back, “No,” He muttered back.

Her face lit up again, this time she was pretty sure it was from anger as she started to pull against him, but she didn’t focus on him for too long because before she knew it, Samuel came stumbling down the stairs, catching them in the act.

“Can I help you?” The older man snarked, “What do you want?” 

The four of them spun around to see him staring them down, gun in hand, “We wanna know where Crowley is,” Dean spoke up immediately. 

Thankfully, at Samuel’s arrival, Cas’ arm slipped from around her to go back to his side, and she could properly focus on this strange confrontation, “Even if I knew, why would I tell you?” He demanded. 

Dean scoffed, “Cause you’re our grandfather,” He responded immediately. 

Sam stepped forwards now, standing next to Dean, “Samuel, I’m gonna get my soul back,” He confessed. 

It was Samuel’s turn to scoff now, clearly thinking that was impossible, “Who says you can get it back?” He asked. 

“Me,” Came Sam’s immediate response. 

“Look, I’d like to help, but I’m sorry,” Samuel said, shaking his head. 

Alyssa gaped, “It’s your grandson’s soul!” She shot back. 

“I can’t!”    


Dean  _ definitely _ wasn’t happy with their grandfather’s response, “What’s wrong with you? Do you  _ wanna _ work for Crowley?” He hesitated, as if finally noticing that Cas was in the room, “Cas, can you give us a minute?” The words were barely out of Dean’s mouth before Cas disappeared, and Alyssa could tell that he was happy to get out of there for the meantime, “We’re your blood, but if you don’t wanna help us, I can’t make you. But I just gotta know why. What is Crowley holding over you? You owe us that,” He decided. 

Alyssa had to agree, if he wasn’t going to help it really was the least he could do, and thankfully, Samuel agreed too, as he took out a picture, passing it over to Dean. Alyssa peered over his shoulder to see the picture of Mary staring back up at them. 

“Mom?” Dean asked, looking as confused as she felt. 

“He’s gonna give her back to me,” Samuel confessed. 

Dean was still staring down at the picture, “Crowley’s gonna bring back mom from the dead?” He asked. 

“You tell me you don’t want her back?” He paused, waiting for Dean’s answer that never came, “You know, the one difference between the two of us; you know how to live without her,” He hissed. 

It didn’t take long after that for the argument between the two of them to heat up to an extreme, and soon enough Alyssa was leading them out of the compound, Sam pulling Dean along behind her. She wasn’t surprised that Samuel kicked them out, she was just surprised that he hadn’t done it sooner with how horribly that confrontation went. Thankfully, Cas was quick to come take them back once they had made it outside the compound, zapping them back to their abandoned little shack while they devised a plan to find Crowley for the meantime. 

Alyssa couldn’t help but feel exhausted once they were back, but they still needed to find out a way to find Crowley, they weren’t about to give up so easily, Cas, on the other hand, was quick to collapse on the couch, ignoring the siblings again. Beyond him being annoyed with her, he seemed to be extra annoyed at Sam because he called him from his war for so long, and Dean just was thrown into the mix, but she didn’t mind at the moment, at least she was able to focus on their search for now. 

Well, she thought that she was going to be able to focus on her search, she found her eyes wandering back to Cas more than she would’ve liked to admit, and it didn’t take her long to realize that he was fiddling with the TV remote, for a rather long time. 

With a sigh, she picked up the book she was skimming through and carried it over to the couch, noticing that as soon as she stood up his eyes were locked on her, the remote forgotten until she was sitting next to him on the couch, “Here, let me,” She offered, taking the remote from his hands. 

Cas watched as she turned on the TV for him, showing him quickly how to flip through channels before lowering the volume a significant amount, so the three of them could continue to research while he kept himself busy. Once he had the remote back in his possession, she focused back on the book in her lap, surely he could figure out what to watch on his own, she definitely didn’t need to help him make that decision. 

She was thankful that Cas was quick to settle himself next to her, deciding pretty easily on what he wanted to watch while she read in silence. It was also a lot easier for her to focus once she was sat next to him, it was almost strange but she wasn’t going to complain now that she could properly read. 

“It’s very complex,” He finally muttered, after silence had settled in the room for a good amount of time. 

“Mhmm,” Alyssa was quick to agree, flipping to the next page. 

He shifted against, moving for the first time since she gave him back the remote, leaning that much closer to her, “If the pizza man truly loves the babysitter, why does he keep slapping her rear? Perhaps she has done something wrong,” He muttered, his arm now nearly brushing Alyssa’s as his eyes stayed locked on the TV. 

Her stomach dropped as she looked up from her book for the first time to see what Cas had decided to watch, “Cas!” She squeaked when she realized that he had turned on porn of all things. 

“You’re watching porn, why?” Dean perked up, looking over his shoulder to see the two of them on the couch. 

Alyssa didn’t even wait to hear his response, she leant over him to try and snatch the remote from his hand, but he was quick to move it out of her reach, causing her to have to lean that much further over him as he explained to Dean that: ‘It was there.’ 

Just as she almost was able to snatch the remote from his hand, she realized that the two of them were two bad moves away from being in the same position as the pizzaman and the babysitter on the screen in front of him. Alyssa wasted no time in flinging herself backwards, the remote forgotten as she scrambled to sit normally on the couch against, grabbing her book and burying her nose in it once more. 

“You don’t watch porn in a room full of dudes… and  _ Alyssa _ !” Dean explained, “And you don’t talk about it. Just turn it off!” He told him, turning to Sam with a sigh, “Oh great, now he’s got a boner!” 

Alyssa felt her stomach drop again and she was sure her face had never been so warm in her entire life, and it only got warmer when she realized she sneaked a peek over at Cas once Dean was done talking. Thankfully, saving her from further embarrassment, there was a knock on the door, and Dean sprung up to get it. 

“Samuel?” Dean asked, letting the older man in, who immediately noticed what was on the television. 

“Is this what you all do? Sit around watching pornos with angels?” He demanded. 

Cas perked up, looking around to see Samuel, “We’re not supposed to speak about it,” He told him. 

That had about done it for Alyssa, she sprung to her feet, discarding her book and manually turning off the TV so they didn’t have to talk about it any more. She couldn’t look at Cas as she marched past him to come up behind Dean as he confronted Samuel, trying even harder to ignore him once he stood up to follow her, clearly back to his old self for the time being. 

“Why are you here Samuel?” He demanded. 

He sighed, walking further into the house, “It’s what Mary would want. Now, this is what I know. Whatever we bag ends up there,” Samuel pulled out a map from his pocket, pointing to a location so that the three siblings could see, “That’s where he tortures them, interrogates them, I don’t really know. Only been outside the places, but it’s a death trap. Nothing gets in that Crowley doesn’t want in and nothing gets out, period,” He warned. 

“Well, thanks,” Dean shrugged, taking the map from Samuel. 

He started back towards the door, “I wish you wouldn’t do this.” 

“Come with us,” Sam offered. 

But Samuel was shaking his head before Sam even started talking, “I may be soft, but I’m not suicidal,” He said in his way of saying goodbye before letting himself out of the house, leaving them to decide what to do next. 

“What are we waiting for, I’ll let Meg know,” Sam said as soon as the door was shut and Samuel was gone. He was quick to grab his cell and let himself into another room, most likely to call the demon to let her that they needed to meet up again. 

Once Sam was done with the call, he was quick to let them know that the demons were waiting for them outside, and the four of them filed out of the house to meet up with Meg, who very clearly stood out in the darkness that had fallen over them. 

As they got closer to Meg, it didn’t take Alyssa long to realize that the demon’s eyes were locked on Cas, “Remember me?” She asked as soon as they were close enough, “I sure remember you, Clarence,” Meg grinned. 

Alyssa found herself wanting to step directly in front of Cas when the demon spoke to him, but she quickly pushed those feelings down, surprising herself when she realized what she was thinking, “Why are we working with these abominations?” Cas asked, stepping sideways so he was standing even closer to Alyssa. 

“Keep talking dirty, makes my meatsuit all dewy,” She pressed, the grin never leaving her face. 

“We know where Crowley is,” Alyssa couldn’t help but perk up, wanting to change the topic while she could. 

Meg’s eyes snapped over to Alyssa, as if she finally noticed her there, “Great. Do tell,” The demon demanded. 

Sam scoffed, “Yeah, tell you? So you can just leave us for dead,” He asked, stepping forward now. 

“You all have serious abandonment issues, you know that?” She laughed, never giving up an opportunity to make fun of the Winchesters. 

“We’ll show you alright, but we’re going together,” Sam decided. 

Finally the demon decided to get a little bit serious about their situation, “What, and I’m just supposed to trust you?” She scoffed. 

“No, you’re not that stupid, give me the knife for a minute,” He demanded, holding his hand out to take the demon knife from Meg. 

“No, I’m not that stupid,” She mocked. 

Thankfully, Sam didn’t care to back down at the moment, “Do you want us to take you to Crowley or not?” He continued. 

After a brief moment, Meg passed Ruby’s knife over to Sam. She didn’t realize what was going on as Cas grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her backwards and away from Sam as he lunged forwards, sending the knife straight through one of the demon’s neck, “You saw him, he was more interested in killing us than getting the job done. I just did all of us a favor,” He was quick to explain, slipping the knife into his coat pocket. 

“Hey! You’re just gonna keep that?” Meg demanded, looking like she wanted to grab the knife from him. 

“You took this from us, I’m taking it back. We leave in one hour,” Sam said, stalking back inside before anyone could argue.

With one look at Meg who looked more than pissed at Sam, Alyssa realized that, even with Castiel's help, this was going to be a lot harder than they would've expected. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading all :) I've just started to re-watch a couple of episodes of SPN and I wanted to write a little something for my favorite character! There's no real plan for where this is going, but I hope it turns out well!


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